EU backs investment treaty training for Timor-Leste officials
The programme covers legal obligations and dispute prevention as Timor-Leste expands its investment commitments through ASEAN.
Timor-Leste investment officials are receiving European Union-backed training in Dili on international investment law, with sessions running from 9 to 11 November 2026. Delivered through the International Trade Centre, the programme is aimed at TradeInvest staff and other relevant government institutions.
Professor Jansen Calamita, an international investment law expert from the National University of Singapore, is leading the training at Timor Plaza. The programme covers treaty obligations, the relationship between foreign investment and sustainable development, and approaches to preventing and resolving disputes.
TradeInvest executive director Duílio Marino Gusmão Araújo da Silva said officials needed to understand Timor-Leste’s international obligations when the state enters agreements with investors. He linked the training to the country’s continuing ASEAN integration and its economic commitments for 2026–2030.
Training documents say Timor-Leste had only one bilateral investment treaty before joining ASEAN, signed with Portugal in 2002. Its commitments are expanding through the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, established in 2009, and the country expects to become party to seven additional investment agreements linked to ASEAN economic cooperation.
Seth Van Doorn, programme manager at the EU delegation in Timor-Leste, said foreign investment should extend beyond oil and gas into processing, manufacturing, agriculture and services. He called for a fair, transparent and predictable investment framework that also protects national interests.
The final day is scheduled to include discussions across government institutions on arbitration and state obligations, alongside a session for judges and prosecutors on applying investment agreements within Timor-Leste’s legal system.
