Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that Commission entrepreneurship was the main driver behind the emergence of the European Union's (EU's) international investment policy. It focuses on investment-related negotiations during the Uruguay Round; the negotiations on the Energy Charter Treaty; the failed negotiations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and the short-lived investment negotiations of the Doha Round. The book introduces the non-expert reader to international investment and its regime. It defines international investment, discusses economic and political impacts of international investment activities on home and host economies, and identifies the tools and purposes of international investment policy and its historical roots. The book provides an overview of the EU's legal competences in international investment policy and identifies the key actors and their preferences in international investment policy.