Johnny Veeder and the Barcelona Traction Case

Before his untimely death, Johnny Veeder had become fascinated with the Barcelona Traction case before the International Court of Justice, which in a sense was a precursor to modern investor-State arbitration. In Johnny’s honour, this article recounts the proceedings before the Court and the background of events involving a remarkable individual, Juan Antonias March, which led to the case being brought before the Court by Belgium against Spain as an espousal of the claims of Belgian nationals who had been shareholders in the Barcelona Traction company.