Equitable Principles of Maritime Boundary Delimitation: The Quest for Distributive Justice in International Law

836 Pages·2015·5.809 MB·English

by  Thomas Cottier

EQUITABLE PRINCIPLES OF
MARITIME BOUNDARY
DELIMITATION
Equity emerged as a powerful symbol of aspired redistribution in
international relations. Operationally, it has had limited impact in the
Westphalian system of nation states – except for maritime boundary
delimitations. This book deals with the role of equity in international
law,andoffersadetailedcasestudyonmaritimeboundarydelimitationin
thecontextoftheenclosuremovementinthelawofthesea.Itassesses
treatylawandtheimpactoftheUnitedNationsConventionontheLaw
oftheSea.Itdepictstheprocessoftrialanderrorintheextensivecaselaw
oftheInternationalCourtofJusticeandarbitraltribunalsandexpounds
the underlying principles and factors informing the methodology both
inadjudicationandnegotiations.Unlikeotherbooks,themainfocusis
onequityanditsimplicationsforlegalmethodology,inparticularoffering
furtherguidanceinthefieldofinternationaleconomiclaw.
thomas cottier is a full professor of European and International
Economic Law at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and former
ManagingDirectoroftheWorldTradeInstitute.Muchofhisprofessional
work has been dedicated to international economic law, in particular
internationaltraderegulation,workinginthefieldbothasanacademic
andanegotiatorandchairandmemberofWTOpanels.

EQUITABLE PRINCIPLES OF
MARITIME BOUNDARY
DELIMITATION
The Quest for Distributive Justice
in International Law
THOMAS COTTIER
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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©ThomasCottier2015
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Firstpublished2015
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Cottier,Thomas,author.
Equitableprinciplesofmaritimeboundarydelimitation:thequest
fordistributivejusticeininternationallaw/ThomasCottier.
pages cm
ISBN978-1-107-08017-1(hardback)
1. Maritimeboundaries. I. Title.
KZA1450.C68 2015
341.4048–dc23
2014035077
ISBN978-1-107-08017-1Hardback
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CONTENTS
Listoftables xviii
Listofmaps xix
Preface xxiii
Acknowledgements xxvi
Tableofcases xxix
Tableoftreatiesandinstruments xxxiv
Equityrevisited:anintroduction 1
I. Therenaissanceofequity 1
A. Newfrontiers 1
B. Traditionalfunctionsandthedeclineofequity 8
C. Therebirthofequityinthelawofnaturalresources 16
II. Thequestforglobalequity 21
A. Theprogrammaticfunctionofequity 22
B. Theimpactofsovereigntyandself-determination 25
III. Thelegalnatureofequity 28
A. Differentlayers 28
B. Asourceofnewlegalprinciples 29
C. Ambivalenceandtheneedforcontext 31
D. Theimpactofdifferentschools 34
IV. Conclusion 39
part i
Context:theenclosureoftheseas 43
1 Thesilentrevolution 45
I. Thepartitionoftheseas 45
II. Conferences,conventions,andcustomarylaw 49
A. UNCLOSI,IIandtheGenevaConventions 49
vii
viii contents
B. UNCLOSIIIandtheLOSConvention 50
C. Multiplesourcesoflaw 59
D. Ahistoricalperspective 63
2 Thenewmaritimezones:evolutionandlegal
foundations 67
I. Horizontallysharedzonesandquasi-territoriality 67
II. Thecontinentalshelfzone 70
A. Descriptionanddevelopment 70
B. Thescopeofshelfrights 74
C. Thefoundationandlegalnatureofshelfrights 77
1. Theconceptofnaturalprolongationoftheterritoryofthe
coastalstate 77
2. Distance:closerelationshipofthecoastalstatetooffshore
marinespaces 92
D. Summaryandconclusions 101
III. Theexclusiveeconomiczone 104
A. Descriptionanddevelopment 104
B. ThefoundationandlegalnatureofEEZrights 111
1. Permanentsovereigntyovernaturalresourcesandtheclose
relationshipofthecoastalstatetooffshoremarine
spaces 111
2. Customarylaw 114
C. ThescopeofEEZrights 116
1. Statepracticeandcustomarylaw 116
2. TheLOSConvention 118
IV. Therelationshipofthecontinentalshelfandthe
EEZ 121
A. Divergencies 121
B. Convergencies:towardsasinglehomogeneouszone 122
C. Summaryandconclusions 125
1. Towardsapresumptionofsinglemaritimeboundaries 125
2. Exceptions:divergingboundaries 128
3 Distributiveeffectsoftheenclosuremovement:an
assessmentofglobalequity 130
I. Thequestforglobalequityinmaritimelaw 130
II. Theallocationofmarinespaces 140