The Judicial Politics of Economic Integration


Book Description

The Judicial Politics of Economic Integration analyses development strategies and regional integration in the Andean Community (the former Andean Pact), focusing on the establishment of the Andean Court of Justice and its case law, as well as the intellectual underpinnings that made such an impressive reform possible. The court is a transplant taken from the European integration process, and it materializes the visions, expectations, and dreams of the transnational development movement of "integration through law". The book discusses the outcomes of the Court in light of the debates about judicial reform in the process of development and regional integration. Although clearly confirming several earlier claims that "one size does not fit all", Osvaldo Saldias provides new insights into how legal transplants adapt and evolve, and how we can learn much more about legal reform from a project that presumably failed than from successful copies. The Andean Court of Justice is a remarkable example of an institution capable of adapting to political and economic challenges; therefore, in times of a severe European economic crisis we should not forget that we might improve our understanding of European integration by looking at developments in other regions. An interesting new study with an international focus, this book will be a fascinating read for students and scholars of Law and Latin American Studies.




Rethinking Free Trade, Economic Integration and Human Rights in the Americas


Book Description

This monograph offers the first systematic overview of the protection of human rights in trade agreements in the Americas. Traditionally, trade agreements in the Americas were concerned with economic questions and paid little attention to human rights. However, in the wake of the 'new regionalism', which emerged at the end of the last century, more clauses addressing social issues such as labour rights and environmental standards were inserted in trade agreements. As economic integration increased, a framework for the protection of human rights evolved. This book argues that this framework allows for human rights protection on a transnational level, while constructing regional identities. Looking at the four key regional integration processes, namely the Caribbean Community, the Central American Integration System, the Andean Community of Nations and the Southern Common Market, and also at the North American Free Trade Agreement, it shows how the integration process has reached a considerable degree of consolidation. Writing on key sources in English for the first time, this book will be essential reading for all free trade and human rights scholars.




Civil Judgment Recognition and the Integration of Multiple-state Associations


Book Description

This book represents a prodigious study of judgment-recognition practices in the Central American states, and is for that reason alone an important and needed contribution to comparative law. Distinguished legal scholar Robert C. Casad details the history and present arrangements in Central America, compares the Central American system to interstate judgment-recognition arrangements in the U.S. and the European Economic Community, and considers important suggestions for reform in Central America. This book brings together for the first time in one source, translated into English, the texts of the relevant code provisions of each of the six Central American countries, as well as the text of the Bustamante Code (the multi-lateral treaty) and the European Economic Community judgment-recognition convention.




Diversity and Integration in Private International Law


Book Description

Bringing together academics and private international lawyers from a wide range of jurisdictions and institutions, this volume explores how private international law can best contribute to the development of the global legal architecture needed to integrate our emerging multicultural world society.







National Constitutions and EU Integration


Book Description

Do individual constitutions, and the legal cultures underlying them, pose an obstacle to future EU integration? This ambitious collection brings together reports from all the European Member States, systematically setting out their individual constitutional guarantees. In doing so, it tracks possible roadblocks to the future evolution of European integration. Written by recognised authorities in each Member State, it offers an authoritative and rigorous overview of the European Union's constitutional landscape. Its single-structure approach allows for comparison while maintaining consistency. It will become the standard reference work for academics, students and practitioners in the field of European Union law and integration.







Economic Integration Among Unequal Partners


Book Description

Economic Integration among Unequal Partners: The Case of the Andean Group discusses concerns regarding economic integration among less developed countries. The book provides quantitative analysis of progress and economic costs and benefits of the economic integration among the countries of the Andean Group. The text is comprised of eight chapters that are organized into three parts. The first part contains chapters that tackle the historical, political, and theoretical backgrounds of the Andean Group. The second part, which only contains Chapter 3, examines the effects of economic integration. The last part, which is comprised of the last remaining four chapters, covers the attitudes of those involved in the integration process. The book will be of great interest to individuals who have an interest in the implications of economic integration.




EU Law and Integration


Book Description

This book contains a collection of articles on different aspects of EU law written by one of Europe's most distinguished jurists during the past twenty years, some of which appear here for the first time in English. The book includes a Preface by Judge Koen Lenaerts, Vice-President of the European Court of Justice. The book is divided into five parts, covering EU constitutional law, the EU's judicial architecture, access to justice, European competition law and various other aspects of substantive EU law. In the field of EU constitutional law, the central text discusses the existence of implied material limits to the revision of the Treaties. The author argues that the powers of the Member States to amend the Treaties is limited by the existence of a hard core of principles of EU Treaty law, which cannot be revised without changing the 'constitutional' identity of the Union, leading to the conclusion that Member States can no longer be considered as the 'absolute masters of the Treaties'. Four articles relating to the EU's judicial system constitute the cornerstone of the collection. Drawing on his own experiences, the author examines the problems and challenges facing the setting up of a new EU court and explores different lines of reform of the EU judicial system.




Trade Agreements, Investment Protection and Dispute Settlement in Latin America


Book Description

In recent years many Latin American countries have liberalized their trade and investment regimes, opening their markets to free international trade. At the same time, regional economic integration has boomed. This book is the first systematic analysis in any language of these globally significant developments, and the first comprehensive legal study of dispute settlement relating to foreign direct investment and trade in the region. Undertaken by an expert in the field, this study describes the current institutional framework of Latin American trade and investment law as well as specialized legal issues in the region's various economic blocs. Among the many issues and topics raised the following may be mentioned: • questions of compliance and procedure in the context of today's international investment regime; • formalized dispute settlement mechanisms; • alternative dispute resolution channels, including dispute prevention practices; • legitimacy and transparency of the various dispute settlement mechanisms; • inclusion of social clauses in trade and investment agreements; and • avoidance of investment treaty liability. In order to offer a most accurate view of the effectiveness of the protection granted to foreign investors, special attention is given to relevant case law – completely covering the period 1985–2015 – as well as arbitral precedents before international bodies and in jurisdictions across the region. The book concludes with a critical examination of the future prospects of international economic law dispute settlement in the Americas, pinpointing current trends and unveiling future possible avenues for change. As an in-depth explication of how the rules and principles of international economic law are applied in Latin America, this book has no peers. For practitioners drafting business agreements with Latin American companies, or needing to ensure availability of appropriate remedies, this book's detailed insight into international litigation in the region, including case law illustrating the main topics, will prove to be of immeasurable value. Professionals in the arbitral community worldwide, as well as governments, dedicated research centres and officials in international organizations will welcome this book's model for comparative integration studies, systematic guidance on procedure and case law of domestic and international courts and arbitral tribunals, and extensive treatment of dispute settlement mechanisms in trade and investment agreements.