In September 2020, an ICSID tribunal rendered its decision on the
Respondent’s Jurisdictional Objections in Raiffeisen v Croatia, two
years after the ICSID Chairman of the Administrative Council rejected Croatia’s
application to disqualify Dr. Stanimir Alexandrov as a member of the tribunal.
The decision on the Respondent’s Jurisdictional Objections concerns the
interpretation of the Austria-Croatia BIT and its compatibility with the EU
acquis. This case-note addresses both the decision on the Respondent’s
Jurisdictional Objections and the Chairman of the Administrative Council’s
decision on the proposed disqualification of Dr. Alexandrov. In so doing, it
focuses on three key issues: the selection and conduct of the arbitrator that
gave rise to disqualification, and the role played by ICSID in the process; the
interrelation between investment treaties, EU Law, and EU Member States; and
the implementation of the VCLT for termination of treaties covering similar
subject matter.