This paper tackles some aspects of the international responsibility of the European Union and of its member States in the field of international investment law. Its main aim is assessing whether EU Investment Agreements are contributing to the emergence in this policy field of a lex specialis under the meaning of Article 64 of the DARIO, concerning the responsibility of the Union. Post-Lisbon Investment Agreements do not contain a clause on the attribution of conduct or responsibility. They just provide for a procedural mechanism empowering the Union to determine “in-house” who – between the Union and the concerned member State – should act as the sole respondent after a specific dispute has arisen. The author examines the connection existing between the identification of the respondent and allocation of international responsibility, by also discussing the apportionment model uphold by Regulation (EU) No 912/2014. He concludes that EU Investment Agreements are unlikely to contribute to the consolidation of a rule of responsibility applicable to the EU and derogating from the rules applicable to the generality of international organizations.
Il presente contributo tratta della responsabilità internazionale dell'Unione europea e dei suoi Stati membri nel campo del diritto internazionale degli investimenti. Il suo obiettivo principale è valutare se gli accordi di investimento conclusi dall'Union Europea stiano contribuendo all'emergere in questo settore di una lex specialis ai sensi dell'articolo 64 del Progetto di articoli sulla responsabilità delle organizzazioni internazionali (DARIO), riguardante la responsabilità dell'Unione. Gli accordi di investimento post-Lisbona non contengono una clausola sull'attribuzione delle condotte o della responsabilità internazionale; prevedono semplicemente un meccanismo procedurale che autorizza l'Unione a determinare chi, tra l'Unione e lo Stato membro interessato, debba agire come unico convenuto dopo che è sorta una controversia. L'autore esamina la connessione esistente tra l'identificazione del convenuto e l'attribuzione della responsabilità internazionale, discutendo anche il modello di ripartizione desumibile dal regolamento (UE) n. 912/2014. Tende ad escludere che gli accordi di investimento dell'UE contribuiscano al consolidamento di una regola sulla responsabilità applicabile all'Unione, la quale deroghi alle regole applicabili alla generalità delle organizzazioni internazionali.
The International Responsibility of the European Union and of its Member States for Breaches of Obligations Arising From Investment Agreements: Lex Specialis or European Exceptionalism?
Simone Vezzani
2020
Abstract
This paper tackles some aspects of the international responsibility of the European Union and of its member States in the field of international investment law. Its main aim is assessing whether EU Investment Agreements are contributing to the emergence in this policy field of a lex specialis under the meaning of Article 64 of the DARIO, concerning the responsibility of the Union. Post-Lisbon Investment Agreements do not contain a clause on the attribution of conduct or responsibility. They just provide for a procedural mechanism empowering the Union to determine “in-house” who – between the Union and the concerned member State – should act as the sole respondent after a specific dispute has arisen. The author examines the connection existing between the identification of the respondent and allocation of international responsibility, by also discussing the apportionment model uphold by Regulation (EU) No 912/2014. He concludes that EU Investment Agreements are unlikely to contribute to the consolidation of a rule of responsibility applicable to the EU and derogating from the rules applicable to the generality of international organizations.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
