摘要
2021年6月,瑙鲁向国际海底管理局(以下简称“海管局”)表示将申请开发工作计划,要求理事会在两年之内完成《“区域”内矿产资源开发规章》(以下简称“《开发规章》”)的制定,但《开发规章》仍未按期出台,这意味着规章未通过的情况下,承包者亦可依法提出开发申请。“两年期规则”的出现与海管局的决策机制及《联合国海洋法公约》(以下简称“《公约》”)的立法实践息息相关。“两年期规则”起到“破局”和“缓冲”两方面的作用:“破局”旨在敦促理事会尽快弥合分歧,以渐进式的方法对规章突破关键问题,必要时可提请国际海洋法法庭海底争端分庭的咨询程序;“缓冲”意味着理事会的职权出现新的转向,现阶段应明确理事会的推迟审议的依据和临时批准效力,以及明晰理事会与法技委之间的职能界限。“缓冲”要求理事会在《公约》框架内修正既有的工作方式,以应对可能出现的临时申请,理事会尽快“破局”拟订《开发规章》才是应对“两年期规则”讨论的应有之义。
In June 2021,Nauru informed the International Seabed Authority(ISA)of its intention to apply for a plan of work for exploitation,requesting the Council to finalize the Regulations on exploitation of mineral resources in the Area(hereinafter“Exploitation Regulations”)within two years.However,the scheduled issuance of the Exploitation Regulations has not yet occurred.This means that,in the absence of the adoption of these regulations,contractors may legally apply for exploitation.The emergence of the“Two-Year Rule”is closely tied to the decision-making mechanism of ISA and the legislative practices of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS).The Two-Year Rule serves a dual purpose of“breaking the deadlock”and“providing a buffer”.“Breaking the deadlock”is aimed at promoting the Council to promptly bridge differences and adopt an evolutionary approach to address key issues in the regulations,and if necessary,to seek advisory opinions from the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.“Providing a buffer”signifies a shift in the Council’s authority.At this stage,it is crucial to clarify the grounds for deferral of consideration by the Council and the effect of provisional approval,as well as to define the functional boundaries between the Council and the Legal and Technical Commission.Among the above two,the latter calls for the Council to amend the established working methods within the framework of UNCLOS to address possible ad hoc applications.It is essential for the Council to promptly break the deadlock and formulate the Exploitation Regulations as the appropriate response to discussions surrounding the Two-Year Rule.
作者
郝艺颖
HAO Yiying(School of Law,Xiamen University,China)
出处
《中华海洋法学评论》
2023年第3期85-122,共38页
China Oceans Law Review
基金
国家社会科学基金重大研究专项“新时代海洋强国建设”(项目编号:20VHO014)阶段性研究成果。
