多边贸易体制下的动物福利与土著群体生存利益之辩——WTO上诉机构欧盟海豹案裁决的启示

The Relationship between the Animal Welfare and the Subsistence of Indigenous Communities under the Multilateral Trade System:Insights from WTO Appellate Body Rulings of the EU-Seals Case

动物福利和土著群体利益保护是近年来国际社会的两个热门话题,欧盟海豹案第一次在多边贸易体制下考虑了两者的关系。WTO上诉机构在该案中,不仅明确承认动物福利作为一种公共道德优先于自由贸易,而且也隐含承认,土著群体的生存利益优先于动物福利保护。为了实现动物福利与土著群体生存利益保护之间的适当平衡,上诉机构对国内立法提出了一系列要求:在采取措施实现土著群体生存利益保护这一优先目标时,应当尽量减轻措施对动物福利可能造成的负面影响;国内立法应当统筹考虑,公平对待WTO所有成员的出口利益,特别是在设定相关标准时,应当适当考虑部分出口国的特殊情况;国内立法应当精细化,避免授予执法机关过多裁量权;国内立法应当实体和程序并重,并加强执法监督。这些要求对于我国制定具有多重目标的类似法律,具有重要参考价值。

Animal Welfare and the subsistence of indigenous communities are two hot topics among international community in recent years.EU-Seals is the first case that linked them under the multilateral trade system.While explicitly acknowledging of the priority of the protection of animal welfare over free trade as a kind of public moral,the WTO Appellate Body in this case implicitly put the subsistence of indigenous communities over the animal welfare.In order to maintain the proper balance between the animal welfare and the subsistence of indigenous communities,the Appellate Body put some limits on the domestic legislation:alleviating as possible the negative impact on animal welfare in the course of adopting appropriate measures to protect of the subsistence of indigenous communities;treating all WTO member' exporting interests evenhandedly;not empowering the enforcement authorities too much discretionary;and the supervision of enforcement should be strengthened.This case provides some important insights and guidance if China wants to enact similar legislation with multiple purposes.