For the last twenty years the European Union has been extremely active in the field of e-commerce. This important new book addresses the key pieces of EU legislation in the field of e-commerce, including the E-commerce Directive, the Services Directive, the Consumer Directive, the General Data Protection Regulation, and the eID Regulation. The latest in the Elgar Commentaries series, EU Regulation of E-Commerce is the first book to apply this well-established format to a dynamic and increasingly significant area of law. Key features include: thoroughly up-to-date analysis of decisions of the Court of Justice and the Commission article-by-article commentary on the latest directives and regulations in the field of e-commerce a unique structure featuring detailed tables of cases and legislation and paragraph references, enabling easy access to all substantive legal provisions specially commissioned chapters from leading scholars and practitioners from across the EU This unique work will provide the definitive account of the essential pieces of EU legislation on e-commerce. Legal practitioners will benefit from the clear structure and close examination of key provisions. The book will also appeal to legal scholars and advanced students, who will appreciate the concise overview and thoughtful analysis on future developments in the field. Contributors include: P. Cortes, G. De Minico, J. Dumortier, Y. Harn Lee, M. Jozwiak, S. Jozwiak, A.R. Lodder, C. Markou, D. Mendis, A.D. Murray, C. Riefa, T. Synodinou, M. Viggiano, T. Wisman

Verico discusses the ASEAN economic integration from dual perspectives of time span (trade, investment and finance) and framework (bilateral, sub-regional, regional and regional plus). The work is a comprehensive study of the integration in the wake of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)'s inauguration in late 2015. Examining various economic agreement levels from the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (BFTA) and the AEC to financial integration in ASEAN, Verico attempts to envisage the future of ASEAN in completing its regional economic integration from trade to investment and finance. Verico argues that, in the absence of a customs union, ASEAN must utilize the open-regionalism frameworks of the ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and others in order to shift its economic integration level in this way.

This book is the final study report of the key project of the National Social Science Foundation of China, "China and the Reconstruction and Innovation of International Rules in the New Era of Global Value Chain". On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the complex situation of international rule reconstruction and innovation in the new era of the global value chain, this book makes an in-depth and systematic analysis on six types of international rules, namely official export credit rules, international competition rules, cross-border e-commerce and digital trade rules, ISDS, multilateral agreement on investment and international regulatory cooperation. It also introduces the theories and practices of China's engagement in the new round of reconstruction and innovation of international rules.

Part one of Volume 4 (2013) of the European Yearbook of International Economic Law offers a special focus on recent developments in international competition policy and law. International competition law has only begun to emerge as a distinct subfield of international economic law in recent years, even though international agreements on competition co-operation date back to the 1970s. Competition law became a prominent subject of political and academic debates in the late 1990s when competition and trade were discussed as one of the Singaporeissues in the WTO. Today, international competition law is a complex and multi-layered system of rules and principles encompassing not only the external application of domestic competition law and traditional bilateral co-operation agreements, but also competition provisions in regional trade agreements and non-binding guidelines and standards. Furthermore, the relevance of competition law for developing countries and the relationship between competition law and public services are the subject of heated debates. The contributions to this volume reflect the growing diversity of the issues and elements of international competition law.

Part two presents analytical reports on the developments of the regional integration processes in North America, Central Africa and Southeast Asia as well as on the treaty practice of the European Union. Part three covers the legal and political developments in major international organizations that deal with international economic law, namely the IMF, WCO, WTO, WIPO, ICSID and UNCTAD. Lastly, part four offers book reviews of recent works in the field of international economic law."

This book explores how State capitalism affects and reshapes international investment law. It sheds new light on the various ways States actively influence business and commercial activity globally by using sovereign investors such as state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds or pension funds. With a diverse group of contributors from a broad range of countries, the book offers a fresh and timely look into the fundamentals of State capitalism, focusing in particular on its actors and processes, the contextual elements that surround it, and the new political economy that comes with it. The book is essential reading for researchers, regulators, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the different ways State capitalism challenges and changes international investment law. As geopolitical considerations increasingly affect global economic activity, delving into the intricacies of State capitalism has never been more timely.

This book addresses the regulation of the State/Enterprise relationship in the framework of international economic context. It analyzes this relationship from the discrete perspectives of conflict, cooperation, and integration in contributions by authors representing a diverse range of legal cultures and political backgrounds. The topic is investigated following three approaches: * State versus Enterprise (the State which bans, restricts, or regulates the activities of Enterprises, both domestic and foreign);* Enterprise versus State (the Enterprises, main actors of commercial, industrial or financial initiatives, which may directly or indirectly affect the legal and economic structure of the State);* State as Enterprise and Enterprise as State (public Enterprises under political control that pursue geopolitical goals, and Enterprises that rely on the political, financial, and strategic support of the State for their business expansion). Furthermore, the volume includes a special focus on the relationship State/Enterprise in non-capitalist economies (China, Russia, and Cuba).

This book explores questions of transnational private legal theory in the context of the external dimension of EU private law. The interaction between existing theories of transnational ordering and the external reach of European Regulatory Private Law is articulated through the examination of what are found to be the three major proxies of transnational private ordering: private standards, contracts and codes. Chapters survey the absence of jurisdictional restrictions in the transnational space and how the EU is arguably shaping transnational private governance to pursue regulatory aims. These regulatory endeavours span not only institutional structures and substantive rules but also the values that inform them. Leading contributors provide insights into a broad range of transnational governance considerations, from the standardization of the internet and contracts in energy exchanges to private food safety standards. The Role of the EU in Transnational Legal Ordering will be of interest to students and scholars working in the areas of EU law, regulatory law, international law, transnational governance, and private law. EU law practitioners and policy-makers will also find the analysis of key elements of EU regulation beneficial. Contributors include: C. Busch, M. Cantero Gamito, L. de Almeida, T. Juutilainen, A. Marcacci, M. Mataija, H.-W. Micklitz, M. Paz de la C. de los Mozos, K. Pijl, G. Spindler, R. Vallejo, R. van Gestel, P. van Lochem, P. Verbruggen, B. Warwas

This is the third revised edition of this text which was first published in 1989, and based on a General Course held by the author at The Hague Academy of International Law in 1986. It is designed to serve as a standard textbook on international economic law, suitable for reference and studies. This edition takes account of some of the new developments in international economic law, such as the ramifications of the Internet. The comprehensive analysis of all rules of public international law having direct influence on economic relations has been maintained and elaborated. Special attention is paid to the claims for a new international economic order, the extraterritorial reach of domestic legislation, the effects of nationalization, the protection of the environment, state immunity and economic welfare.

This book is about law, but it is not a law book. It is aimed at all interested contemporaries, lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Richly seasoned with personal memories and anecdotes, it offers unique insights into how European courts actually work. It is generally assumed that independence is part and parcel of the role and function of a judge. Nevertheless, European judges sometimes face difficulties in this regard. Owing to their being nominated by a government, their limited term of appointment, and the possibility of being reappointed or not, their judicial independence can be jeopardized. Certain governments have a track record of choosing candidates who they believe they can keep on a leash. When this happens, private parties are at risk of losing out. The EFTA Court is under even more pressure, since the EEA/EFTA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway essentially constitute a pond with one big fish (Norway) and two minnows. For quite some time now, certain Norwegian protagonists have sought to effectively transform the EEA into a bilateral agreement with the EU. This attitude has led to political implications that have affected the author himself. The independence of the EFTA Court is also endangered by the fact that it operates alongside a large sister court, the Court of Justice of the European Union. And yet the EFTA Court has established its own line of jurisprudence and its own judicial style. It has remained faithful to specific EFTA values, such as the belief in free trade and open markets, efficiency, and a modern view of mankind. During the first 24 years of its existence, it has even had an over-proportionate influence on ECJ case law. Since EEA Single Market law is economic law, the importance of economics, an often-overlooked aspect, is also addressed. In closing, the book explores Switzerland's complicated relationship with, and Britain's impending departure from, the EU. In this regard, it argues that the EFTA pillar should be expanded into a second European structure under British leadership and with Swiss participation.

Retail is 'going digital,' and grocery shopping is no exception. While some businesses are relaying on their corporate website to make the sale, both traditional brick-and-mortar and new disruptive business models are increasingly using online marketplaces to offer their products online. European Union law has been gradually updated to reflect this new reality, with Intellectual Property Rights legislation and Consumer Law leading the way toward a suitable regulatory framework in the Platform Economy. However, the EU has not devised a comprehensive strategy for tackling the challenges posed by the online sale of physical consumer goods, such as effective public enforcement in online environments. In fact, sector-specific legislation, including Food Law, largely ignores online transactions. In this context, the book evaluates the impact that online marketplaces are having on European Union sector-specific legislation and its e-nforcement. The goal is to assess whether the existing regulatory and policy framework are sufficient for promoting compliance and bridging the enforcement gap in the digital single market. Focusing on the e-food market, the book presents a state-of-the-art overview of how online marketplaces are altering EU law and its enforcement by public authorities.

Reaching past the secrecy so often met in arbitration, the second edition of this commentary explains clearly and fully the workings of the UNCITRAL Rules of Arbitral Procedure recommended for use in 1976 by the United Nations. This new edition fully takes account of the revised Rules adopted in 2010 while maintaining coverage of the original Rules where these remain relevant. The differences between the old and the new Rules are clearly indicated and explained.
Pulling together difficult to obtain sources from the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, arbitrations under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and ad hoc arbitrations, it illuminates the shape the UNCITRAL Rules take in practice. The authors cogently critique that practice in the light of the negotiating history of the rules and solutions adopted by the other major private rules of arbitral procedure. To aid the specialist in the field, the practice of these various tribunals is extensively extracted and reproduced. Rich both in its analysis and sources, this text is indispensable for those working in or studying international arbitration.

To the contention that the advent of electronic commerce demands a near-complete jettisoning of existing laws affecting business transactions, the authors of the essays in this book answer: not so. Rather, the resolution to the challenge lies in the combination of existing legal elements from heretofore disparate disciplines, and the creation from these elements of a new field of legal principle and practice, a field that will nonetheless overlap with classical commercial law. Perhaps the most significant feature of this emerging body of law is that it is necessarily transnational, as e-commerce cannot be contained within national borders. Although there is a general consensus that "what holds off line, holds on line", there are circumstances that give rise to legal issues peculiar to the information technology environment. These essays deal with some of these issues and other relevant matters, including the following: the country-of-origin principle in EU law; variations in national implementations of the European Directive on electronic signatures; civil liability of Internet service providers; negligence, damage, defective products, culpable wrongdoing and other tort issues in an on-line context; defining the moment of effectiveness of an e-mail notice; "good faith and fair dealing" on-line; the Internet as a zone of "socially responsible spontaneity"; protection of databases - how much is too much?; international private law issues in business-to-consumer disputes; and redefining the separate realms of litigation, legal advice and rule-making as e-commerce grows in the years to come. This book elaborates and updates a staff exchange that took place in 2001 among legal scholars from the Universities of Oxford and Leiden. Its insights represent some of the best-informed thinking on the legal aspects of this all-pervasive feature of contemporary society.

Classical liberalism has typically sought to maintain as much room as possible for the exercise of personal initiative in the face of the encroachment of states. This book explores these questions of coercion and authority in the context of the size and scope of the state and argues that the state and its agents should be held to the same moral rules as are the individuals it rules over. The book considers how a distinct feature of the state is its police or coercive power, about which one may ask how the state acquires it and what if anything would justify its use. It considers the implication that there is nothing inherent about state agents that entitles one to behave in ways that we would not accept from a private actor, and how once that argument is made, the state's claim to authority is weakened. The author also discusses the extent to which democracy has been thought to provide any sort of justification for coercion or authority. This book will be of interest to academics and students of political philosophy, especially classical liberalism, and legal philosophy.

In recent years, we have witnessed the spectacular growth of risk management approaches to regulation, so much so that the concept of risk regulation has entered the mainstream regulation vocabulary. This timely collection takes a critical look at risk and EU law. Its multidisciplinary, comparative approach traces the dangers lurking in the practical application of these approaches. It offers important insights into the limitations of the approach and its variability across domains and Member States. It is a valuable addition to the risk regulation literature and deserves to be widely read.' - Bridget M. Hutter, London School of Economics and Political Science, UKAlthough the assessment and management of risk has always been an integral part of government and private decision-making, it has acquired particular importance in contemporary politics. Developments such as the global financial crisis of 2008, the ensuing Eurozone crisis, the rise in international terrorism, and natural disasters have brought to the fore the importance of risk management. As the competence of the EU has expanded, the presence of EU law in risk control has increased significantly. This book seeks to provide an analysis of EU risk regulation in various sectors, examining some key concepts and transversal themes, as well as focusing on sector specific regulation. The contributors explore the social epistemology of risk observation and management, risk modelling, the role of science in political and judicial decision-making, in addition to transnational risk regulation and contractual governance. They examine EU regulation, among others, in the field of terrorism prevention, external relations, food regulation and financial supervision.L This book will be of interest to law scholars, social scientists and students, whilst lawmakers and lawyers will also benefit from the practical insights of its expert authors. Contributors: A. Alemanno, F. Allen, D. Brean, F. Cafaggi, E. Carletti, M. Cremona, S. Duquet, A. Garde, T. Herberger, A. Hoefer, C. Kobrak, K.-H. Ladeur, H.-W. Micklitz, A. Oehler, T. Tridimas, M.B.A. van Asselt, K. Vieweg, E. Vos, S. Wendt, J. Wouters

This book demonstrates how human rights obligations of the EU foreign constitution can be operationalized in the realm of international economic regulation. The content is divided into three major parts. The first outlines the legal foundations needed for the EU to become a shaper of international investment law, which include the general principles and objectives of EU external policies, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, international human rights and the international investment competences of the EU. The second part demonstrates the current international investment regime's incompatibility with human rights interests, while the third analyzes two mechanisms stemming from trade Law - ex-ante human rights impact assessments and civil society monitoring bodies - and explores whether they could mitigate the current inequalities in the protection of rights. The potential of these mechanisms, the book argues, lies in their capacity to ensure a comprehensive assessment of all interests at stake, and to empower traditionally marginalized rights-holders to make, shape and contest the international investment regime.

This book aims to describe the mechanisms of the internal wholesale electricity market in terms of the legal tools and practices used by electricity producers, the most important market participants. In this regard, the focus is on Northwestern Europe. Because of the book's functional perspective, it is not limited to the external regulation of electricity markets at the EU level and also describes the business models and practices employed by electricity producers. Both the physical and financial marketplaces are examined and topics including electricity supply, balancing, transmission and derivatives are covered. The target for the completion of the EU's internal electricity market was 2014. The internal wholesale electricity market is very important not only for electricity producers, suppliers and major end consumers but also for network operators, marketplace operators, electricity technology firms, investment firms and market regulators.

With the conclusion of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture in 1994, agriculture has for the first time been integrated into world trade rules and disciplines. WTO Members have made a commitment to continue the reform process initiated during the Uruguay Round by starting new WTO negotiations on agriculture by the year 2000. This book combines academic analysis with practical expertise to discuss, in an accessible and systematic way, some of the principal aspects of these agricultural negotiations, and aims to make recommendations for viable and successful negotiating positions in the new WTO talks on agricultural trade. Several expert articles outline the historical and political background of previous negotiations and policy developments in agricultural trade. Others provide an overview of the key issues for the new round of negotiations.

This book attempts to illustrate the whole picture of international investment rule of law between China and African countries and find the way forward through combining theory and practice. It is a book by a Chinese professor based on her long-term research experience in the international investment law field and her African field work in person. Its main feature is its well-balanced thinking on the structure of investment international rule of law. It should be the most comprehensive research on the international investment rule of law between China and African countries. With the increase of Chinese investment in Africa, various discussions and viewpoints on Chinese investment in Africa have become striking. The purpose of this book is to explore systematically the protection and sustainability of Chinese investment under the concept and framework of the international investment rule of law, so as to serve the sustainable development of Africa and China. For the purpose of this book, great importance is attached to the idea of the international rule of law, and the international investment law with the function of rule of law is adhered to. The conclusion of this book is that China should take proactive steps to protect Chinese investment in Africa and regulate Chinese overseas investors and their investments in addition to complying with the laws in the host states and thus make them conductive to African and Chinese sustainable development; however, the most significant issue is that China-Africa investment relations should be regulated by the evolving and specific international investment rule of law, and the China-Africa international investment rule of law should conform to normative in form, support common sustainable development in value, and reflect the social reality of China and Africa. For both researchers and students, it is an approach to understand international investment rule of law from a perspective of China and Africa. For those who are interested in China and Africa, it is a useful reference book.

This book provides a deeper understanding of electronic evidence and its use in civil and commercial dispute resolution. The explosive growth of information technology has had major impacts on the development of the economy, society and also on the improvement of legal proceedings with the use of modern technology in all areas of criminal and civil procedures. This book focuses on the current provisions of UNCITRAL, the European Union, Germany and Vietnam concerning electronic evidence in civil and commercial dispute resolution. It analyses the notion and the basic aspects of evidence and electronic evidence and explores the process of finding electronic evidence. Further, it discusses how the effectiveness of finding electronic evidence can be reconciled with a respect for fundamental rights, in particular with personal privacy and personal data protection. The book subsequently addresses the authentication and admissibility of electronic evidence; the evaluation of electronic evidence and the burden of proof; and the challenges of using electronic evidence in civil and commercial dispute resolution. Finally, it puts forward proposals for promoting the use of electronic evidence in these contexts. As the book focuses on the current texts of UNCITRAL and the civil procedure legislation of the European Union, Germany and Vietnam, it relies on a comparative method which deals with the most significant provisions of the above legislation.

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are not necessarily acquired as entire systems. They are often assembled from parts and materials, many of which are dual-use - i.e., of both commercial and military utility. Often, suppliers of these components do not ask who their customers are or inquire about the intended application. This has for a long time been the Achilles' heel of well-intentioned nonproliferation conventions. The answer lies in more stringent export controls of weapons-related technologies. In this eye-opening collection of essays, sponsored by the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia (USA), a group of outstanding experts in the nonproliferation field report on the efforts of five leading supplier countries - the United States, France, Russia, China, and India - to implement export controls on weapons and sensitive technologies used for producing WMD. The book is both reassuring and alarming in its very precise survey and analysis of export control regimes. At most national levels, regulation is rapidly making firms more accountable, and more industries are routinely implementing internal compliance programs. However, these advances are in a neck-to-neck race with intangible methods of transferring information, corporations with no national allegiance, and competition among international suppliers. Based on in-depth research - each of the contributors spent considerable time conducting interviews with government officials and other policy experts, observing policy making and implementation, and gathering empirical data - this detailed and thought-provoking book will be of great value to all concerned with security objectives for the twenty-first century.

This book explores the interaction between the EU and international investment law, both at the internal level, namely within the EU internal market, and at the external level, i.e. in the context of its relations with third States. The joint treatment of these dimensions reveals that the EU has assumed an ostensibly ambivalent attitude towards international investment law. At the internal level, it has consistently asserted that intra-EU international investment agreements (IIAs) are not compatible with EU law and advocated their termination. At the external level, by contrast, it has eagerly deployed IIAs to develop its post-Lisbon international investment policy. The book finds that beneath this apparent ambivalence towards international investment law ultimately lies the EU's attempt to impose, both internally and externally, its own original model of regulation of cross-border investment. It then argues that the EU adopted this approach with a view to supporting its internal market, enhancing its external influence, and, ultimately, pursuing long-term 'federal aspirations'. Finally, the book identifies the legal and political obstacles that have curtailed the EU's efforts at both the internal and the external level.

The book examines the twofold 'boundaries' of the concept of the European Union's internal market - the geographical and the substantive - through the prism of expanding the internal market to third countries without enlarging the Union. The book offers a comprehensive analysis of the conditions under which the internal market can effectively be extended to third countries by exporting EU acquis via international agreements without sacrificing its defining characteristics. Theoretical rather than empirical in approach, the book scrutinises and meticulously questions the required level of uniformity within flexible integration relating to the substantive scope of the internal market, the role of foundational principles in the European Union's market edifice, and the institutional framework necessary for granting third country actors full participation in the internal market while safeguarding the autonomy of the Union's legal order.

Volume 12 of the EYIEL focuses on "The Future of Dispute Settlement in International Economic Law". While new forms of dispute settlement are emerging, others are in deep crisis. The volume starts off with reflections on Dispute Settlement and the World Trade Organisation, most prominently the crisis of the Appellate Body, but also addressing international intellectual property law and the African Continental Free Trade Area. This is followed by a section on Dispute Settlement and Investment Protection/International Investment Law, which includes articles on the summary dismissal of claims, the margin of appreciation doctrine, the use of conciliation to settle sovereign debt disputes, and contract-based arbitration in light of Achmea and Hagia Sophia at ICSID. Further contributions consider the emerging role of commercial courts, the dejudicialization of international economic law, dispute settlement in the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, reference mechanisms in dispute resolution clauses, and UNCLOS.

This book examines the need for greater legal coherence within international trade negotiations between the European Union (EU) and external trade relations. An introspective analysis of EU trade law and policy is presented that highlights the complex issue of EU unity. A particular focus is given to the Doha Round and the General Agreement on Trade in Services, with empirical analysis placing the negotiations not just within the context of international trade law, but also within broader social and political contexts. This book aims to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of the EU's international trade negotiations. It will be relevant to researchers and policy-makers interested in international trade and EU law.

The Asian-Pacific countries as well as India and Russia offer multinational companies all the benefits of booming economies in a world of recession. However, the investor must be aware of the tax regime under which he will operate. This survey presents the rates, definitions of taxable income and the incentives available in a complete, yet concise form. It goes on to review tax minimisation strategies and concludes with a comparison of the overall tax burdens for investors in each country derived from the Devereux/Griffith formulae - a methodology well known within the EU, but applied to this region for the first time.