The Precautionary Principle as a Device for Greater Environmental Protection: Lessons from EC Courts

Given that the precautionary principle has never been defined in the EC Treaty, the EC jurisdictions have been playing a key role in determining the status as well as the scope of that principle. Although scholars have hitherto been paying heed to the case law on food safety, the literature has become a little thinner when one considers environmental case law. This article attempts to set the scene to explain how the precautionary principle can be invoked in different judiciary procedures at the EU level.     

Interpretation and Application of the Precautionary Principle: Australia's Contribution

Australia has been a leading jurisdiction in the adoption of the precautionary principle, with widespread policy and legislative incorporation. This has paved the way for the development of a substantial jurisprudence on the interpretation and application of the principle. The international derivation of the version of the precautionary principle adopted in Australia, together with the wide range of areas in which the principle has been applied, for example biodiversity protection, environmental impact assessment, climate change, public health, etc., means that judicial consideration of the principle in Australia has the potential to form a body of common law with national and international application. Accordingly, this article reviews the adoption, interpretation and application of the precautionary principle in Australian environmental law, with a view to drawing out the general lessons this experience offers for interpretation of the principle in other, international settings .     

投资者合理期待原则研究

在近年的投资条约仲裁中,投资者的合理期待被反复提及,并与公平与公正待遇标准紧密联系在一起.因此.投资者合理期待的保护问题事关外围投资者和东道国的切实利益.结合投资条约仲裁案例,首先考察投资者合理期待原则的产生与含义,在此基础上阐述投资者合理期待产生的根据,最后重点就该原则适用的限制进行分析.     

法理:法实践的正当性理由

法理是由人的理性认识所凝练、证成法实践的正当性理由。法理是一个实践性概念,它生成于、作用于、发展于法实践,面向法实践绽放理论生命、成就学术体系、彰显话语魅力,深入法实践充实法律思维、供养法治思维、锤炼法理思维。法理概念在数千年中华法治文明发展进程中萌生、流淌、跃动,在新时代全面依法治国、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的征程中苏醒、焕发、升腾,是法理复兴之路与良法善治之景的和韵,是东方文明之光与马克思主义真理之光的交辉。     

我国食品安全风险评估科学顾问的合法性危机及其克服

我国食品安全风险评估科学顾问的合法性危机既体现在"作为行为"中,也体现在"不作为行为"中,突出表现为社会对其作出的风险评估结论持不信任态度。原因在于:科学顾问缺乏科学上的卓越性和独立性及其活动缺乏透明性。需要设计公正和科学的科学顾问成员的遴选制度、广泛和有效地支撑其开展风险评估工作的网络体系、精密和完整的利益声明规则、合理和全面的食品安全风险评估活动的公开等制度来有效克服科学顾问的合法性危机。     

风险行政的预防原则

风险预防不同于危险防御,其适用于科学上不确定的风险行政领域,在我国具有法律原则的重要地位。为了更好地保护基本权利,国家可以根据预防原则设计风险预防机制,并在特定条件下采取一定的风险预防措施。但因为风险的不确定性,国家在采取风险预防措施时存在较大的裁量空间,也容易侵害经营自由、科研自由或引发贸易纠纷。故而,如果某产品有潜在的负面效果,经风险评估判明存在科学上的不确定性,方可决定采取风险预防措施。在采取措施时,国家应当遵守比例原则、平等对待原则等要求,应当说明理由,保障公众的参与机会,并根据情况变化在事后进行评估与调整,以提高措施的可接受性、充实风险信息。在风险预防措施的合法性引起争讼时,因存在科学上的不确定性而难以适用客观性举证责任,应由双方主体在各自的责任范围内举证说明,以帮助法院解明案情,适时作出裁判。     

论风险预警原则在WTO法律中的地位

在乌拉圭贸易谈判中,国际社会推出了一个新的多边货物协定,即<实施卫生与植物卫生措施的协定>(以下简称"SPS协定"),其中第5条第7款规定,"在有关科学证据不充分的情况下,一成员可根据可获得的有关信息,包括来自有关国际组织以及其他成员实施的动植物卫生检疫措施的信息,临时采用动植物卫生检疫措施.在此种情况下,各成员应寻求获得更加客观地进行风险评估所必需的额外信息,并在合理期限内据此审议动植物卫生检疫措施."     

The Precautionary Principle in General International Law: Combating the Babylonian Confusion

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the clarification of the legal scope of the precautionary principle. The primary focus is on general international law, so as to determine as accurately as possible what it is that 'the' precautionary principle entails. The legal development, status and implications of the principle pass in review. A definition is presented of a right and a duty of States to take precautionary action, which is deemed representative of the current state of customary international law. Several particularly controversial issues receive separate treatment, including the burden of proof, the role of uncertainty and the application of the precautionary principle to human health protection. Special attention is paid to the practical relevance of the various findings, which are placed in the context of recent developments.     

The Precautionary Principle in EC Health and Environmental Law

Abstract:  Envisaging anticipatory preventive action in response to uncertainty, the precautionary principle represents an important milestone in risk reduction. The question is no longer merely how to prevent assessable risks, but rather how to anticipate risks pervaded by uncertainty. By leaving behind the realm of 'sound science', precaution necessarily gives rise to conflict. As regards the status and the implementation of that principle, the aim of this article is to explore some of the key issues arising in environmental and food safety cases brought before the Tribunal of First Instance, the European Court of Justice and the EFTA Court.     

挫折与修正:风险预防之下环境规制改革的进路选择

风险预防作为基础性原则正在主宰着法律体系的变革路向和精神维度,引导着环境规制从危险规制向风险规制转变。在环境规制实践中,风险预防存在纲领规定模式、规范裁量模式和制度规范模式三种适用类型。环境规制的格局正围绕着它们不断地调整、改进,但也在规制立法和规制实施层面呈现出阶段性挫折的一面。这种挫折的根源在于当前的环境风险规制采取了一种封闭式的技术规范进路。对此,应借助商谈式程序进路对其进行修正和补充,确立以规制立法+规制决策+规制商谈为主轴的环境风险规制新范式。在风险预防之下,这种双重复合进路对我国的环境规制改革实践具有重要借鉴意义。     

Community or Communities of Courts in European Integration? Sex Equality Dialogues Between UK Courts and the ECJ

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them . . . When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all of these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?’ Amazed and perplexed, they asked each other, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2: 4–12)     

论预先防范原则在国际环境法中的地位

预先防范原则是在20世纪80、90年代出现在国际环境法领域的一种新的处理缺少确切科学证据的环境风险的主张.迄今已有至少八个国际环境条约载入了与预先防范原则有关的内容,虽然具体用词不尽相同;与预先防范原则有关的案例也已经有数个.以这些为研究对象,探讨预先防范原则在国际环境法上的地位.现在预先防范原则还没有形成国际环境法领域的习惯法,但很多国家愿意在处理缺少确切科学证据的环境风险时,使用与其相关的方法或措施.     

The Precautionary Principle: A Thrill Ride on the Roller Coaster of Energy and Climate Law

The International Energy Agency has reported that, in 2007, fossil fuels were the source of 66% of global energy production, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that 60% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in 2004 were carbon dioxide emissions from the stationary energy sector. This article relies on recent case law in Australia to assess the extent to which the precautionary principle is a relevant consideration for development consent authorities determining applications for energy-generation facilities, including coal-fired power stations, coal mines, wind farms and uranium mines. What emerges is that there is really no certainty that the precautionary principle will be applied consistently by Australian courts to determine the legal responsibilities of decision makers assessing energy projects. In this sense, the precautionary principle has taken a thrill ride on the roller coaster of energy and climate law in Australia .     

EU和WTO预防原则解释和适用比较研究

预防原则是国际法上重要的法律原则,其法律地位存在很大争议,不同国际组织对其认可和适用的程度不尽相同。欧盟的预防原则理念领先于其他国家和地区,在区域内的实践呈扩大的趋势。WTO框架内预防原则的实践则发展缓慢,由于宗旨的不同和背后利益集团的博弈,与欧盟的预防原则立法和实践存在较大差异。