Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès

The document examines the tension between the 'Africa Mining Vision'—which seeks to use national champions and performance requirements to drive sustainable development—and the legal constraints imposed by international investment treaties. It evaluates ownership options (such as joint ventures and state-owned enterprises) and performance requirements (such as local content and technology transfer), concluding that while these tools can be effective if integrated into broader strategies, they often conflict with treaty obligations regarding national treatment, fair and equitable treatment, and expropriation. The briefing provides strategic drafting options for states to preserve their 'policy space' in future treaties.

• The 'Africa Mining Vision' represents a shift from the 1980s 'Washington Consensus' of liberalization toward a paradigm emphasizing equity, transparency, and a stronger state role to ensure mineral wealth supports broad socio-economic development.
• Ownership-related tools for promoting national champions include 'free carry' obligations (granting the state a percentage of equity without cost), mandatory joint ventures, the promotion of state-owned enterprises as sole actors, and the expropriation of private firms.
• Performance requirements, such as local content quotas and technology transfer, are most effective when they are not used in isolation but as part of a broader national strategy to build innovation systems and supplier capacities.
• Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) can severely limit a state's policy space through provisions such as 'National Treatment' (preventing discrimination against foreign investors) and 'Fair and Equitable Treatment' (FET), the latter of which is often interpreted broadly by tribunals to protect 'legitimate expectations' of investors.
• Imposing ownership restrictions or performance requirements after an investment has been made is legally riskier than doing so before, as such measures may be classified as 'indirect' or 'regulatory' expropriation, triggering mandatory compensation.
• Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms allow investors to bypass national courts and seek international arbitration, creating a 'regulatory chill' where states may avoid public interest legislation to avoid costly claims.
• To preserve policy space, states can use specific treaty drafting techniques, such as excluding the extractive sector from National Treatment and FET obligations, using 'positive lists' for market access, or excluding performance requirements from ISDS jurisdiction.

APA

Cosbey, A., Mann, H., & Cunningham, M. (2014). Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf

Chicago

Cosbey, Aaron, Howard Mann, and Maxine Cunningham. Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cosbey |first1=Aaron |last2=Mann |first2=Howard |last3=Cunningham |first3=Maxine |title=Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cosbey2014les, author = {Cosbey, Aaron and Mann, Howard and Cunningham, Maxine}, title = {{Les traités bilatéraux d’investissement, l’exploitation minière et les champions nationaux: en assurer le succès}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/bilateral_investment_treaties_mining_national_uneca-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }