D R A W N U P B Y T H E P E R M A N E N T B U R E A U
Preliminary Document No 3 of April 1995
Introduction
1 The Final Act of the Seventeenth Session contains, under Section B , paragraph 3, the Décision of the Hague C o n f é r e n c e 'to include also in the Agenda for the work programme of the Conférence the question of the
déter-mination of the law applicable, and possibly questions arising from conflicts of jurisdiction, in respect of civil liability for environmental damage'. The adverb 'also' implicitly refers to another Décision taken at the same Seventeenth Session to include in the Agenda for the work of the C o n f é r e n c e the question of the récognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. I n actual fact, those two subjects are given equal priority on the Agenda for the future work o f the Con-férence, f o l i o w i n g the topic which has been selected as the main t h è m e for the Eighteenth Session, namely the revision of the Convention o f 5 October 1961 on the protection of minors.'
2 The décision to undertake work in the field of civil liability f o r environmental damage foUows upon a pro-posai o f the Permanent Bureau which had been the sub-ject o f an important Note, Note on the Law Applicable in Respect of Civil Liability for Environmental Damage (hereafter referred to as the '1992 Note')-^ The Perma-nent Bureau, determining that the problems o f trans-boundary pollution were becoming more and more seri-ons and were given an increasingly high profile in the média owing to the impact of varions major catastrophes (Chernobyl, Amoco Cadix, Bhopal, etc.), and consider-ing moreover that intense international activity on the environment was developing, either within other interna-tional organizations or through the intermediary o f direct negotiations between States by establishing standard norms, became aware that the principies o f conflicts of laws in regard to matters such as transboundary pollution were still relatively underdeveloped; hence that was a domain which the C o n f é r e n c e was under an obligation to study. The 1992 Note gave a fairly complète picture of the situation, outlining the historical background to the problem and the developments which were taking place within international organizations or were being dis-cussed in the literature. The aspects of comparative law contained in this Note, together with the arguments and suggestions in the domain of conflict of laws, as well as certain aspects of procédural law, are still perfectly valid at the présent time and w i l l not be examined again in the présent Note.
' Cf. Final A c t of Ihc Seventeenth Session, B , paragraphs I and 2.
^ Prel. Doc. No 9 ol' IVlay 1992 for the attention of the S p é c i a l C o m m i s s i o n of June 1992 on gênerai affairs and pohey of the C o n f é r e n c e , Proceeciing.'; ofthe Sev-enteenth Session (1993). Tome 1, Miscellaneons matters. pp. 187-211.
3 It is common knowledge that the Eighteenth Session, to be held in October 1996, is to be entirely devoted to the priority thème selected by the Seventeenth Session, namely the revision of the 1961 Convention on the pro-tection o f minors. The activity of the Permanent Bureau on other subjects included in the Agenda f o r the future work of the C o n f é r e n c e has accordingly been somewhat restricted. Although the question of the récognition and enforcement o f foreign judgments in civil and commer-cial matters has given rise to some fairly wide-ranging investigations, in particular through the convening of Spécial Commissions responsible f o r studying certain spécifie points in this sensitive area, the Permanent B u -reau did not consider it constructive - at this stage in its work - to draft a broader scientific report dealing with the domain of civil liability f o r environmental damage.
In its view, it would be préférable to await a définitive décision of the C o n f é r e n c e before embarking on work in that field, so as to be in a position to submit an up-to-date scientific report to the experts involved in the Spé-cial Commission. That does not imply that the Perma-nent Bureau has been totally inactive with regard to environmental damage: the présent Note, which should to some extent be considered as an update of the 1992 Note, is intended to give an account of two activities undertaken in the field o f environmental damage. One of those is significant and important, namely the Osnabriick CoUoquium, whereas the other takes the shape of co-opération - albeit of a limited kind - with another inter-national organization, subséquent to the assistance re-quested by the Secrétariat of the Basel Convention on the Control o f Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposai.
4 A t the meeting of the Spécial Commission to be held in June 1995 on gênerai afifairs and policy of the C o n f é r -ence, the experts o f the Conference's Member States w i l l have to reach a décision on the Organization's future activity and, first and foremost, on the subject to be dis-cussed at the Nineteenth Session, which w i l l probably take place in October of the year 2000. I n particular, a décision w i l l have to be taken on the priority to be accorded to the two subjects heading the Agenda for future work, namely the question of the récognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commer-cial matters on the one hand, and that of the law appli-cable, together with any questions conceivably arising f r o m conflicts o f jurisdiction in respect o f civil liability for environmental damage on the other. I n that connec-tion, it is of interest to recall that during the discussions within the First Commission in the course of the Seven-teenth Session, délégations were fairly clearly divided on the question of the priority which should be given to problems created by environmental damage. Naturally, ail délégations were of the opinion that this was an extremely important matter and that it ought to be stud-ied by the C o n f é r e n c e . However, nine délégations con-sidered that the question should not be given priority, both because it is an extremely complex one and touches on political problems of a sensitive nature and in view of the fact that there are already a large number o f inter-national texts on the subject.-^ The Permanent Bureau hopes that the présent update of the 1992 Note, and in particular the conclusions which can be drawn f r o m the Osnabriick Colloquium, w i l l enable the experts at the meeting in June 1995 to f o r m an opinion on the current position as regards problems associated with transbound-ary pollution and to reach a décision with f u l l knowledge of the facts.
Cf. Minutes No 2 of the First C o m m i s s i o n of the Seventeenth Session, ihUleiii.
pp. 324-.125.
Environmental damage Environmentcd damage 73
I L e Colloque d'Osnabriick
5 Du 7 au 9 avril 1994 s'est tenu à Osnabriick un col-loque dont le thème était intitulé: «Vers une convention sur les problèmes de droit international privé en matière de dommages causés à l ' e n v i r o n n e m e n t » . Organisée par le professeur Christian von Bar et son Institut de droit international privé et de droit c o m p a r é de l'Université d'Osnabriick, à l'instigation de et en collaboration avec la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye de droit international privé, la réunion avait pour but d'examiner le nouveau champ d'exploration que les problèmes des dommages causés à l'environnement posaient au droit international privé. A l'instigation de la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye avons-nous dit, car, suite à la Décision prise lors de la Dix-septième session d'inscrire à l'ordre du jour des travaux futurs de la C o n f é r e n c e la question des dommages causés à l'envi-ronnement, le Bureau Permanent désirait savoir com-ment cette Décision était perçue à la fois auprès de spé-cialistes du droit international privé et de personnes s'occupant d'environnement.
6 Le Colloque a été une grande réussite de par le nom-bre de participants et en raison de sa haute tenue intel-lectuelle. Environ 80 juristes et spécialistes de l'environ-nement, venus de toutes les parties du monde, ont suivi avec attention la dizaine de rapports présentés par des professeurs de renom et ont participé activement aux dis-cussions qui ont suivi ces rapports. Le t h è m e général du Colloque était divisé en quatre parties: la première por-tait sur les aspects de droit matériel c o m p a r é et du droit matériel unifié, avec notamment l'étude de la Conven-tion sur la responsahilité civile des dommages résultant d'activités dangereuses pour l'environnement, conclue le 21 j u i n 1993 à Lugano (Convention du Conseil de l'Eu-rope). La d e u x i è m e partie traitait de la relation du droit international public au droit privé de la responsabilité; la troisième était consacrée au droit international privé com-paré. Enfin, la quatrième partie visait à une réflexion sur une éventuelle Convention de La Haye. Ce Colloque a fait l'objet d'une publication contenant tous les rapports et les discussions, publication dont un certain nombre d'exemplaires sont à disposition au Bureau Permanent («Internationales Umwelthaftungsrecht I - A u f dem Wege zu einer Konvention liber Fragen des Internationa-len U m w e l t h a f t u n g s r e c h t s » - Herausgegeben von Chris-tian von Bar, Karl Heymans Verlag K b , 1995).
7 A la fin du Colloque, le professeur Christian von Bar a su résumer les discussions d'une manière assez imagée en transformant les résultats essentiels des deux jours de débats sous forme d'une liste en dix points, q u ' i l a appe-lée «Les dix points d'Osnabriick» et dont on trouvera la teneur en annexe à la présente Note. Ces Dix points d'Osnabriick ont déjà été publiés dans la Revue critique de droit international privé et doit paraître prochaine-ment dans d'autres revues spécialisées du droit interna-tional privé''. Dans la perspective d'une éventuelle Convention de La Haye en la matière, i l est important de reprendre ici les points essentiels de cette liste, afin de bien faire ressortir la singularité de la matière par rapport à d'autres unifications de droit international privé entre-prises par la C o n f é r e n c e de L a Haye^.
a) 8 De manière générale, et bien que certains inter-venants n'aient pas m a n q u é de souligner les difficultés que rencontrerait inévitablement le projet, la grande ma-jorité des personnes qui se sont exprimées lors du Col-loque ont estimé raisonnable qu'une convention traitant des problèmes de droit international privé en matière de
•* Rev. cril. lie d.i.p. 1994. p. 8.5.1.
' Voir é g a l e m e n t Paul R. Beauiiimit, « P r i v a t e Inlernationai L a w of thc Eilviron-m e n l » . Tlic Jiiridical Review. A b c r d c c n 199.5. p. 28-39.
dommages causés à l'environnement soit élaborée et ont salué l'initiative prise par la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye. Les raisons de cette attitude positive sont multiples: d'une part, tout le monde a relevé q u ' i l n'existait pour l'instant aucune solution spécifique, soit au niveau interne des Etats, soit au niveau international par voie convention-nelle, qui réglât de manière satisfaisante le conflit de lois en matière de pollution transfrontière et que le recours aux règles générales de conflit en matière de responsabi-lité civile extracontractuelle, principalement le recours à la lex loci delicti, ne semblait pas adéquat, ou du moins pas suffisant pour donner des solutions à la fois globales et nuancées aux problèmes spécifiques que pose la res-ponsabilité pour dommages causés à l'environnement.
9 Bien plus, et malgré l'existence de conventions dans des domaines particuliers, et m ê m e si l'on tient compte de la Convention de Lugano de 1993, les discussions du Colloque d'Osnabriick ont montré que d'éventuels tra-vaux entrepris par la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye ne pou-vaient pas se limiter à l'élaboration d'une convention réglant uniquement les conflits de lois, mais devaient également envisager de couvrir les conflits de juridic-tions et surtout aborder certains aspects particuliers de procédure qui soulèvent, en matière de dommages cau-sés à l'environnement, des problèmes spécifiques. En fait, i l a été estimé souhaitable, pour ne pas dire indis-pensable, qu'une tentative d'unification des règles de droit international privé en ce domaine se fasse de ma-nière globale, afin de lier le plus possible la c o m p é t e n c e juridictionnelle à la détermination de la loi applicable.
Le caractère lacunaire de l'état actuel du droit, quasi inexistant pour les conflits de lois, très fragmentaire pour les conflits de juridictions, offre une chance certaine pour la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye de combler un vide et d'envi-sager une unification générale, au plan du droit interna-tional privé, de la responsabilité civile extracontractuelle en matière de dommages causés à l'environnement.
Comme l'ont dit plusieurs intervenants à Osnabriick, si la volonté politique se manifeste avec suffisamment d'en-thousiasme, les problèmes techniques doivent pouvoir être surmontés.
b) 10 Concernant plus particulièrement le problème de la détermination de la loi applicable, le Colloque d'Osnabriick s'est assez rapidement rallié à l'adoption d'une règle de conflit qui consacre le principe d é g a g é en matière de conflit de juridictions par la Cour de Justice des C o m m u n a u t é s e u r o p é e n n e s dans l'affaire des mines de potasses d'Alsace, à savoir le principe d'ubiquité entre le lieu de l'action et celui du résultat*: la règle de conflit devrait donner à la victime d'une pollution trans-frontière un choix entre l'application du droit en vigueur au lieu du dommage subi et celui du pays dans lequel se trouve le siège de l'entreprise polluante. A vrai dire, cette règle a peut-être été trop rapidement admise lors du Col-loque d'Osnabriick et n'a pas été suffisamment discutée, son implication appréciée par rapport à toutes les hypo-thèses de pollution transfrontière que l'on peut imaginer.
I l A cet égard, il conviendra, dans le cours d'éventuels travaux entrepris par la C o n f é r e n c e de La Haye, d'envi-sager d'autres solutions parmi l'éventail des lois suscep-tibles de s'appliquer. Cet éventail peut se résumer aux hypothèses suivantes:
i) la loi du lieu de l'activité dangereuse, à savoir la règle classique de la lex loci actus;
ii) la loi du lieu du préjudice, à savoir la lex damni, qui
C o u r de Jii.slice des C o i i i n i i i n a u t é s eiiropcenne.s. 30 novembre 1976, 2 1/86. Voir sur ce poinl la Note de 1992. Doc. prél. No 9, op.cil.. note 2 iiipra. p. 192.
74 Environnement Environnement
I The Osnabriick Colloquium
5 From 7 to 9 A p r i l 1994 a colloquium was held at Osnabriick on the f o l l o w i n g topic: 'Towards a Conven-tion on the Private InternaConven-tional Law of Environmental Damage'. The purpose of the meeting, organized by Pro-fessor Christian von Bar and his Institute f o r Private International Law and Comparative Law of the Univer-sity o f Osnabriick on the proposai of the Hague Confér-ence on private international law and in conjunction with it, was to examine the new field of investigation which problems of environmental damage created in the do-main of private international law. We mentioned that this was at the instigation of the Hague C o n f é r e n c e in view of the fact that - f o l l o w i n g the Décision taken at the Seventeenth Session to include the question of environ-mental damage in the Agenda for its future work - the Permanent Bureau was interested to see how this Déci-sion would be received, both by specialists in private international law and by persons concerned with the environment.
6 This Colloquium was a great success, both as regards the number of participants and by reason o f the high intellectual level of the discussions. About eighty jurists and environmental specialists f r o m ail parts o f the world followed attentively ten reports presented by professors of renown and participated actively in the discussions which followed thèse reports. The gênerai t h è m e was divided into four parts: the first bore on aspects of com-parative and unified substantive law, in particular the study o f the Council of Europe's Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Resulting from Activities Danger-ous to the Environment, coticluded on 21 June 1993 in Lugano (Convention of the Council of Europe). The sec-ond part dealt with the relation between public interna-tional law and private tort law; the third was devoted to comparative private international law. Finally, the fourth part contained reflections on a possible Hague Conven-tion. AU of the reports and the discussions o f this Collo-quium have been incorporated into a volume, a certain number of copies of which are available at the Permanent Bureau (Tnternationales Umwelthaftungsrecht I -A u f dem Wege zu einer Konvention iiber Fragen des Internationalen Umwelthaftungsrechts' - Herausgegeben von Christian von Bar, Karl Heymans Verlag K b , 1995).
7 A t the end of the Colloquium, Professor Christian von Bar summarized the discussions in quite colourful terms, incorporating the salient points arising out of the two days' discussions into a list comprised of ten points, which he called 'The ten points of Osnabriick', appended to the présent Note. T h è s e Ten points of Osnabriick have aiready been published in the Revue critique de droit international privé and are shortly to appear in other spe-cialized private international law journals."* I n view of a possible Hague Convention on the subject, it is impor-tant to revert here to the essential points on this list, so as to highiight the unusual nature o f the subject by com-parison with other unifications of private international law undertaken by the Hague Conférence.^
(a) 8 Generally speaking, and although certain par-ticipants did not fail to stress the difiRculties which the project w i l l inevitably encounter, the vast majority of those who expressed their views at the Colloquium con-sidered it sensible for a convention to be drafted dealing with problems of private international law in respect of
•* Rev. c m . de d.i.p. 1994, p. 853.
^ C f . aLso Paul R. B c a u m o n l . 'Private International L a w of the Environment', The Juridieal Review. Aberdeen 199,5, pp. 28-39.
environmental damage and welcomed the initiative taken by the Hague C o n f é r e n c e , There are a great many grounds for this positive attitude: on the one hand, it was univer-sally pointed out that for the time being there was no spécifie solution, either at domestic State level or at international level by means o f a treaty, capable of satis-factorily settling the conflict o f laws in regard to trans-boundary pollution, Moreover, recourse to gênerai con-flict rules in connection with tortious civil liability, primarily recourse to the lex loci delicti, did not seem sufificient, or at any rate it would not be adéquate to pro-vide both overall and detailed solutions to the spécifie problems arising out of liability f o r environmental dam-age,
9 Furthermore, despite the existence of conventions in particular domains, even taking into account the 1993 Lugano Convention, in the light of the discussions at the Osnabriick Colloquium it was clear that any work under-taken by the Hague C o n f é r e n c e could not be confined to drafting a convention governing conflicts o f laws alone;
considération should aIso be given to covering conflicts of jurisdiction and, in particular, certain spécifie procé-dural aspects which give rise to clearly defined problems in respect of environmental damage. In actual fact, it was deemed désirable, i f not indispensable, for an overall ini-tiative to be undertaken to unify the rules of private international law in this domain, with a view to linking jurisdictional c o m p é t e n c e as closely as possible with the détermination of the applicable law, The déficient nature of the présent state o f the law, which is more or less non-existent in regard to conflicts o f laws and extremely frag-mentary in regard to conflicts of jurisdiction, ofifers a concrète opportunity for the Hague C o n f é r e n c e to fill a gap and to propose a gênerai unification of tortious civil liability for environmental damage at the level of private international law. As several speakers at Osnabriick men-tioned, where there is a suflïciently strong political w i l l , it should be possible to overcome the technical prob-lems.
(b) 10 With more spécifie référence to the problem of determining the applicable law, the Osnabriick Collo-quium fairly rapidly agreed on the adoption of a conflict rule upholding the principle established in regard to con-flict of jurisdictions by the Court of Justice of the Euro-pean Communities in the Potash mines of Alsace case, namely the principle of ubiquity, giving the choice be-tween the place of the activity and that of the result:^' the conflict rule ought to offer the victim of a transboundary
(b) 10 With more spécifie référence to the problem of determining the applicable law, the Osnabriick Collo-quium fairly rapidly agreed on the adoption of a conflict rule upholding the principle established in regard to con-flict of jurisdictions by the Court of Justice of the Euro-pean Communities in the Potash mines of Alsace case, namely the principle of ubiquity, giving the choice be-tween the place of the activity and that of the result:^' the conflict rule ought to offer the victim of a transboundary