Der aktuelle Stand bei Vattenfall geg. Deutschland II: Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit wird im Unklaren gelassen

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the international arbitration case Vattenfall v. Germany II, focusing on the lack of transparency regarding the proceedings and the financial implications for the German public following the country's decision to accelerate its nuclear energy phase-out.

• Vattenfall, a company owned by the Swedish state, initiated arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and filed a lawsuit with the German Federal Constitutional Court to seek compensation for financial losses resulting from Germany's decision to accelerate the nuclear energy phase-out by 2022.
• The amount of compensation demanded by Vattenfall has varied in reports, starting from at least €700 million, then rising to €3.5 billion, over €4 billion, and most recently reaching €4,675,903,975.32 plus 4 percent interest.
• The German government has incurred significant legal costs for the Vattenfall II proceedings, paying over €3.2 million for lawyers, experts, and translations between 2012 and mid-October 2014, with total expected costs potentially reaching €9 million.
• The ICSID tribunal has issued four orders regarding the confidentiality of documents in 2014, but neither the tribunal nor the parties have published these orders, leaving the public and parliamentarians without detailed information on the case.
• Germany attempted to have the case dismissed as 'manifestly without legal merit' under ICSID Arbitration Rule 41(5) on January 10, 2013; however, the continuation of the proceedings suggests the tribunal did not find the claim to be obviously meritless.
• The document argues that ICSID rules do not mandate confidentiality and that transparency should prevail in this case because it involves billions in taxpayer money and a parliamentary decision on nuclear energy that reflects public opinion.

APA

Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., & Brauch, M. D. (2014). Der aktuelle Stand bei Vattenfall geg. Deutschland II: Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit wird im Unklaren gelassen. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/state-of-play-vattenfall-vs-germany-II-leaving-german-public-dark-de.pdf

Chicago

Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Nathalie, and Martin Dietrich Brauch. Der aktuelle Stand bei Vattenfall geg. Deutschland II: Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit wird im Unklaren gelassen. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/state-of-play-vattenfall-vs-germany-II-leaving-german-public-dark-de.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bernasconi-Osterwalder |first1=Nathalie |last2=Brauch |first2=Martin Dietrich |title=Der aktuelle Stand bei Vattenfall geg. Deutschland II: Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit wird im Unklaren gelassen |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/state-of-play-vattenfall-vs-germany-II-leaving-german-public-dark-de.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bernasconiosterwalder2014der, author = {Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Nathalie and Brauch, Martin Dietrich}, title = {{Der aktuelle Stand bei Vattenfall geg. Deutschland II: Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit wird im Unklaren gelassen}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/state-of-play-vattenfall-vs-germany-II-leaving-german-public-dark-de.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }