Most probably you have – like us – witnessed a surge in mining treaties disputes. As Bernhard Maier explains here, we saw a series of high-profile and high-value claims against numerous Sub-Saharan African states over the alleged expropriation of mining licenses, as well as a claim against France by a Russian investor concerning mining rights in French Guiana. As concerns new trends, we believe electric vehicle production will increase demand for supplies of strategic minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel etc. Given the increasingly complex business and human rights regulations all around the world, this will certainly foster disputes in relation to the transparency, traceability and due diligence in supply chains.
The general increase in Foreign Direct Investments will most likely make 2022 another noteworthy year.