Bilateral investment treaties must ensure arbitrators don’t ignore national interest: FM Sitharaman. Investors with deep pockets can exploit developing countries, she said. India is negotiating BITs with the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the European Union (EU) Government in Budget 2025-26 announced revamping the current model BIT to make it more investor-friendly and attract foreign players. The average amount sought by investors in Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) cases is $1.1 billion, which remains a considerable burden for the Global South, the Finance Minister said. She emphasised that issues related to a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) are unique to the sovereign and hence BIT should be negotiated stand-alone rather than as a part of an FTA agreement. She said that BIT and its ramifications are very important for the sovereignty of the country, therefore it’s important for us to have a stand- standalone BIT with specialists who deal with taxation laws, as well as policy experts.
