Dispute Settlement Mechanisms Provided by the Association Agreements Concluded By the European Union with Third Countries

Abstract

International dispute settlement and international relations both have a long history. All EU association agreements have appropriate dispute settlement mechanisms, which differ to some extent. The main task of this study is to determine the international legal mechanisms for resolving disputes included in the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. Furthermore, the purpose of the study becomes especially relevant in the context of the process of resolving the Ukraine-EU trade dispute on national restrictions on timber exports, which is the first dispute in Ukrainian practice. A comparison of the various treaty principles of EU cooperation with third countries suggests that the highest level of protection of individuals through the functioning of the dispute settlement mechanism is described by association agreements, and some of them even resemble an "arbitration clause". It was found that the criteria of comparative analysis were the types of dispute resolution mechanisms, consultation procedures and arbitration procedure, mediation procedure and rules of procedure. According to these criteria, it was found that the association agreements contain almost identical provisions on consultation procedures and arbitration, with the exception of some agreements where arbitration is presented on a narrower scale. The provisions on mediation procedures in the submitted agreements are almost identical to the Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and the Rules of Procedure, which serve as template documents duplicated in the various agreements. The association agreements between the EU and Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova are analysed in detail, and common and distinctive features are described. Differences in the details of dispute settlement mechanisms may indicate that the parties have concerns about the likelihood and intensity of disputes. The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU for the settlement of disputes makes provision for the use of various methods: consultations, arbitration, the establishment of an arbitration panel. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the first case of a trade dispute, which is resolved with the use of the arbitration procedure under the Association Agreement with Ukraine on the export of raw wood