政府采购、利益与补贴——从日、欧诉加拿大可再生能源案看开去

Government Procurement: The Question of the “Benifit”

根据WTO《补贴与反补贴措施协定》第1.1条,政府通过财政资助授予货物或服务供应方"利益"是补贴存在的前提之一。政府采购是政府财政资助的方式之一。如何界定某项政府采购是否授予企业利益?上诉机构在加拿大—可再生能源案中给出了参考答案。上诉机构在界定第1.1条中的"利益"是否存在时十分倚重SCM协定第14(d)条对反补贴调查"利益"计算所规定的市场比较法。笔者认为第14(d)条不适用于因政府干预而存在的特殊市场,"利益"的存在不应以第14(d)条所定义的政府采购"所涉货物或服务"的市场情况为参照。

The latest decision of the Appellate Body in Canada- Renewable Energy establishes criteria for the determination of a subsidy through public procurement. In particular, the decision establishes criteria for the determination of whether the supplier of goods to the government receives a 'benefit', which is a prerequisite for the existence of a subsidy pursuant to Article 1.1(b) of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures of the WTO( 'SCM Agreement'). Although the dispute was about a prohibited subsidy scheme with a local content requirement, in its discussion, the Appellate Body relies heavily on the rule established under Article 14.1(d) of this agreement, which applies to the calculation of a 'benefit' for the purpose of a countervailing duty investigation. This paper offers a critical view of this approach and proposes an alternative benchmark.