Published on 11 September 2025 in Newsletters

E-Newsletter – Summer 2025

Throughout Summer 2025, Volterra Fietta has continued to advise clients on many of the world’s most important public international law issues. 

The last few months have also seen numerous significant developments in relation to public international law.  Below, Volterra Fietta highlights key recent developments in the areas of foreign relations, international trade law, international criminal law, armed conflict and international dispute settlement.

Recent developments in public international law 

Long-running Cambodia-Thailand border dispute leads to significant civilian casualties and displacement

In late July 2025, a five-day armed conflict between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand saw a reported 300,000 people displaced, as well as dozens of casualties.  The century-old border dispute has its roots in the colonial-era drawing of boundaries, pursuant to Franco-Siamese treaties signed in the early twentieth century between the then-Kingdom of Siam and French Indochina.

India and the United Kingdom sign landmark trade agreement

In July 2025, India and the United Kingdom signed an historic free trade agreement.  According to the UK Government, the new trade deal marks the “biggest and most economically significant new bilateral FTA” since Brexit.

European Union seeks to reset trade relationship with China at the 25^th EU-China Summit

On 24 July 2025, at a one-day summit in Beijing, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to seek to reset the EU-China trade relationship.  The summit marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of EU-China diplomatic ties.

Central African Republic militia leaders convicted of war crimes at the International Criminal Court

On 24 July 2025, the International Criminal Court convicted two former Central African Republic militia leaders of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity.  The crimes took place in the context of the 2012-2014 conflict between the Seleka and Anti-Balaka militia groups in Bangui, the country’s capital, and in the west of the country.

Recent and upcoming firm events

Recent:

• On 4 June 2025, Partner Gunjan Sharma and Consultant Florentine Vos delivered a virtual seminar on “Damages in Spectrum Re-Allocation Disputes”.
• On 18 June 2025, Counsel Angela Ha delivered the London Summer Arbitration School’s “Arbitration in Practice” lecture, on the topic of parallel proceedings in arbitration and international law.
• On 3 July 2025, Partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam delivered a virtual seminar on “Investment protection in Morocco”.
• On 18 July 2025, Partner Robert Volterra, Partner Gunjan Sharma and Partner Peter Flint delivered a seminar on the topic: “A masterclass: Making effective damages submissions in international arbitration”.
• On 30 July 2025, Consultant Florentine Vos gave a lecture at the Philippine International Law of the Sea Academy (PHILSEA) on the topic “The International Court of Justice in Maritime Dispute Settlement”.
• On 4 August 2025, Partner Robert Volterra and Counsel Angela Ha published an article in Mining Magazine, entitled “Seller Beware: selling or restructuring your mining project can extinguish options to claim compensation under international law” (available here).
• On 3 September 2025, Associate Margarita Adadurova spoke on a panel about interim measures and emergency arbitration at the Third Armenian Arbitration Week.
• On 4 September 2025, Partner Gunjan Sharma and Consultant Florentine Vos delivered a seminar on “Practical insights from climate change litigators: how courts are favouring plaintiffs and disfavouring defendants”.

Upcoming:

• On 15 September 2025, Associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam will give a guest lecture at Jindal Global Law School’s Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution on “Fraud in international arbitration – ‘the red flags’”.
• On 19 September 2025, Partner Robert Volterra will deliver three seminars at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), co-hosted with the China International Investment Arbitration Forum, on the theme “When Host States Say ‘No’: How Chinese Companies Can Use International Law to Protect Investments”.  Associate Haoyu Rao will also speak at one of the seminars, focusing on “China’s bilateral investment treaty network and its role in protecting outbound investments”.
• On 9 October 2025, Partner Robert Volterra will speak on the topic “When Everything Hits at Once: navigating economic nationalism, climate change and armed conflict in international arbitration” at the ICC Canada Arbitration Committee Annual Conference in Ottawa.
• On 17 December 2025, Partner Robert Volterra will give a lecture on the topic “The police power doctrine in international investment arbitration: balancing State sovereignty and investor rights” at Peking University Law School.

In the coming year, Volterra Fietta plans to offer seminars on the following topics:

• Arbitrations in the mining sector: a 12-month review.
• Provisional measures:  urgency, risk and strategy.
• The ICJ and its procedural rules as litigator tools.
• The use of ICJ judgments in domestic courts.
• Pleading reparations and damages before the ICJ.
• Mexico’s judicial reforms and their impact on foreign investors.
• Climate change causation and the burden of proof.
• Public international law and future of transboundary infrastructure projects.
• Private climate change litigation: are claims coming to England and Europe?

Volterra Fietta has been described as “The law firm which other law firms fear.”  If you would like to be added to Volterra Fietta’s invitation list for future events, please email your name and affiliation to info@volterrafietta.com.