欧盟《外国补贴条例(草案)》及其WTO合规性分析

EU Draft Regulation on Foreign Subsidies and Its WTO Compliance

目前,WTO补贴纪律范围有限,对可能扭曲国际经贸活动的跨国补贴规制不足。在此背景下,经过一年多的酝酿,2021年5月欧盟委员会公布了《外国补贴条例(草案)》,拟建立内容完整和细致的外国补贴制度。外国补贴制度与WTO规则的关系特别是其WTO合规性备受关注。研究表明,草案中外国补贴制度的适用范围从已有WTO补贴纪律的货物领域延伸到投资、服务和公共采购等尚无补贴纪律的领域。尽管尚无WTO纪律直接约束外国补贴(出口补贴除外),但草案规定的承诺和纠正措施涉嫌违反《补贴与反补贴措施协定》《服务贸易总协定》多个条款,且无法根据WTO相关例外条款获得正当性。外国补贴制度具有限制性和歧视性,程序负担繁重,如生效,可能对中国的经贸利益产生不利影响。中国应多渠道质疑《外国补贴条例(草案)》的WTO合规性并做好WTO诉讼准备;密切跟踪研究美国等其他国家的相关国内立法以及国际经贸规则发展动向;积极参与外国补贴国际纪律的制定,就外国补贴认定中的公共机构和外部基准、外国补贴与国内市场扭曲之间的因果关系、外国补贴调查程序、针对外国补贴的救济措施等重点内容提出中方建议。此外,拟参与欧盟经贸活动的中国企业应积极做好准备,应对草案通过可能带来的挑战。

In May 2021, the European Commission published the Draft Regulation on Foreign Subsidies(DRFS), proposing to establish a comprehensive and concrete foreign subsidies regime(FSR). Its relationship and compliance with the WTO rules have attracted wide-ranging attention. The commitments and redressive measures provided for in the DRFS are suspected of violating ASCM and the General Agreement on Trade in Services, which cannot be justified under relevant WTO exceptions. Being restrictive, discriminatory and laden with onerous procedures, if the FSR comes into effect, it may have adverse impact on China’s economic and trade interests. China should challenge the consistency with WTO rules of the DRFS through multiple channels and be prepared for WTO litigation, watch closely the development of the relevant domestic legislations of the US and other countries as well as international rules on foreign subsidies, and actively participate in the development of international disciplines on foreign subsidies and propose China’s approaches to key issues, including the public body and out-of-country benchmarking in the determination of foreign subsidies, the causal relationship between foreign subsidies and domestic market distortions, and the investigation procedure on and remedies against foreign subsidies.