Impact Assessments of Investment Treaties (Preface)

The author introduces Gehring's call for a multi-lateralization of Impact Assessments (IAs). IA processes in Canada, the US and the EU illustrate the complex nature of IAs and their challenges in a rapidly evolving international investment law and policy regime. IAs have expanded to include non-environmental impacts, new jurisdictions and the coverage of assessments of proposed trade agreements and their negotiations, proposed investment agreements, major infrastructure or capital projects and government policies generally. Such expansions position IAs to advance transparency, participation and accountability