This book addresses the complex legal interplay between international trade law and international investment law, particularly concerning foreign investment in services. It examines how the World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the extensive network of investment agreements, such as Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), both govern foreign investment in services, which constitutes a significant portion of global direct investment. The author highlights the potential for conflicts and incompatibilities between these two legal frameworks, leading to reduced transparency and unintended constraints on governmental regulatory powers. This work aims to provide a comprehensive comparison of the principles, rules, and dispute settlement mechanisms within both investment and trade law.

The book is presented as the first to jointly tackle investment law and trade law, focusing on the significant overlap concerning foreign investment in services. It aims to clarify the complex interactions between these two bodies of international law and their impact on governmental regulation. The work is positioned as a comparative analysis of the principles, rules, and dispute settlement mechanisms of investment agreements against the WTO/GATS framework. Its approach suggests a detailed, legalistic examination for professionals and academics in international economic law.