欧盟阻断法与美国域外制裁之法律博弈

Analysis on the Game-play between European Blocking Statute and US Extraterritorial Sanctions Laws

欧盟阻断法以1996年《阻断条例》的产生为开端,目的是阻止美国制裁法在欧盟的域外适用,其本质是公法上的冲突法。起初,《阻断条例》更多地作为欧盟应对美国域外单边制裁的工具之一,起到谈判砝码与法律宣示的作用,美国自愿限制域外适用其制裁法避免法律冲突。但2010年欧盟支持包括次级制裁在内的美国对伊制裁,导致美国域外单边制裁急速发展并在全球扩散。2018年后,欧盟与美国在对伊制裁问题上分歧严重,欧盟阻断法与美国域外制裁法的冲突进入高峰阶段,二者冲突的案例激增。欧盟成员国法院一方面缩小解释《阻断条例》的适用事项,降低冲突概率;另一方面承认《阻断条例》阻止当事人服从美国域外制裁法,但为避免造成欧盟个人或实体的重大损失,允许他们遵守美国域外制裁法。在两者的冲突中,《阻断条例》仅在针对《赫尔姆斯-伯顿法》第三篇的效力上发挥了一定的阻断作用。当前,欧盟阻断法陷入难以阻断美国域外制裁的困境,欧盟计划通过促进欧元国际化、推动《反经济胁迫条例》的出台、修改《阻断条例》等方式改变劣势地位,维护欧盟成员国的主权。中国作为美国域外制裁的受害者,可借鉴欧盟的经验与教训,采取多个途径、多项措施应对美国域外制裁,以更好地维护中国主权,保护中国个人与实体的合法权益。

With the 1996 Blocking Regulation against secondary sanctions of the US as a startingpoint, the EU Blocking Statute intends to prevent the US sanctions laws from being appliedin the EU, which in the early days was used more like a leverage in political negotiationswith the US. Consequently, the US voluntarily restricted the application of its sanctions lawsoutside its territory and legal conflicts with EU Blocking Regulations was thus avoided.However, the EU’s support to US sanctions against Iran has led to a global proliferation ofUS extraterritorial unilateral sanctions and due to their serious differences concerning sanc-tions against Iran, the conflict between the EU blocking Statute and the US extraterritorialunilateral sanctions laws has entered a peak phase. On the one hand, the courts of EUmember states narrowed their interpretation of the “Blocking Regulation” to reduce conflictsbetween the two sides. On the other hand, they allow EU persons to comply with US sanc-tions laws which the Blocking Statute prohibits in order to avoid serious damages. At present, the EU blocking law is trapped into a dilemma that it is difficult to block the US extra-territorial sanctions and the EU is planning to change its disadvantaged position by promo-ting the internationalization of the euro, issuing the “Anti-economic Coercion Regulations”and amending the “Blocking Regulations” in order to maintain the sovereignty of EU mem-ber states. As a victim of US extraterritorial sanctions, China may learn from the lessons ofthe EU.