欧盟法院南极海洋保护区案评析--南极海洋保护区的属性之争

A Commentary on the Joint Cases(Antarctic MPAs)of the Court of Justice of the European Union:Disputes over the Attributes of Antarctic Marine Protected Areas

公海保护区是当前全球海洋治理的焦点议题之一,南极海洋保护区则是其先行者。2018年11月20日,欧盟法院就南极海洋保护区案作出判决,认定南极海洋保护区在性质上属于环境政策范畴,而非渔业政策范畴。欧盟法院的判决不符合南极条约体系规则制度及其嗣后实践。它狭义地解释了“海洋生物资源”的概念,错误解读了《南极海洋生物资源养护公约》及其养护措施的目的和性质,混淆了《南极条约》与《南极海洋生物资源养护公约》之间的职责差异。在《南极海洋生物资源养护公约》框架下,海洋保护区应属于渔业政策范畴。混淆海洋保护区的属性,可能导致《南极海洋生物资源养护公约》从资源养护转变为环境保护,从而排除合理利用南极海洋生物资源的权利,对南极条约体系和全球海洋治理改革产生深远影响。

Marine protected areas(MPAs)on the high seas,of which Antarctic MPAs are considered the forerunners,have currently been one of the hottest issues in global ocean governance.On 20 November 2018,the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered its judgment in the joint cases(Antarctic MPAs),holding that the measures envisaging Antarctic MPAs fall within the environmental policy rather than fisheries policy.The ruling is inconsistent with the Antarctic Treaty system and subsequent practice.Specifically,the judgement narrowly interpreted the concept of marine living resources,misinterpreted the objectives of both the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources(the CAMLR Convention)and conservation measures adopted therefrom,and disguised the difference between the Antarctic Treaty and the CAMLR Convention.In the context of the CAMLR Convention,MPAs should be measures for the purpose of fisheries policy.The confusion of the attributes of Antarctic MPAs may precipitate the transformation of the CAMLR Convention into a treaty of environment protection from one of resources conservation and preclude the right to rationally use the Antarctic marine living resources,which will inevitably exerts profound and lasting influence on the reforms of the Antarctic Treaty system and global ocean governance.