UNCTAD has published its latest Investment Policy Monitor. Between May and December 2020, a total of 52 countries and the EU took 96 investment policy measures. Nearly half of these introduced new regulations or restrictions for investment - the highest ratio in almost two decades.

Some 18 countries and economies – Austria, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, New Zealand, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom and the EU – reinforced the existing FDI screening regime or newly adopted such mechanisms.

Kenya, Oman and the United States of America introduced other types of restrictive measures.

Countries signed at least 15 international investment agreement (IIAs), bringing the total number of IIAs to 3,312 by the end of December 2020. Newly concluded IIAs continue to include reform-oriented provisions in line with UNCTAD’s policy recommendations found in its Reform Package for the International Investment Regime and its IIA Reform Accelerator.

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