Sebastián López Escarcena | Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (original) (raw)

Books by Sebastián López Escarcena

Over the past 20 years, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have moved from the periphery ... more Over the past 20 years, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have moved from the periphery to the centre of the human rights debate. The potential of NHRIs to transmit and implement international norms at the domestic level, and to transfer human rights expertise to regional and global human rights fora, is increasingly recognised. In Europe, the continent with the widest variety and density of human rights protection mechanisms, NHRIs are also gradually gaining recognition as actors that can enable more comprehensive and effective human rights promotion and protection.
Filling a gap in the legal literature, this book aims to bridge the gap between the European and Latin American experiences of national human rights institutions (NHRIs), exploring the impact that this has internationally. As such, it not only includes introductory chapters on the relationship between NHRIs and the United Nations, the European Union and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, but also offers general contributions on other European and Latin American institutions and valuable deep dives into specific case studies on certain regional commissions, ombuds offices and institutes. In order to assess the distinct models these institutional organisations adopt, three of the major European NHRIs have been
chosen: the Spanish Ombuds Office, which is especially relevant to Latin America; the French Commission, of great influence in the area; and the younger, and highly interesting, German Institute. The main Latin American NHRIs which adopt either an ombuds, a commission or an institute model are also analysed, including those of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
With contributions by Paola Acosta (Externado University of Colombia), Heiner Bielefeldt (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg), Emmanuel Decaux (University of Paris Panthéon-Assas), Sebastián Donoso (Council of the National Human Rights Institute of Chile), José Julio Fernández (University of Santiago de Compostela), Pablo González Domínguez (Pan-American University of Mexico), Veronika Haasz
(University of Vienna), Markus Krajewski (Friedrich-Alexander University of ErlangenNürnberg), Michael Krennerich (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg), Sebastián López Escarcena (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), Emilio Maus Ratz (Pan-American University in Mexico City), Katrien Meuwissen (European Network of National Human Rights Institutions), Manuel Núñez Poblete (Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Chile), Beate Rudolf (German Institute for Human Rights),
Eduardo Vio Grossi (†) (Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso) and Jan Wouters (KU Leuven).

Las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno comprenden principalmente dos ... more Las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno comprenden principalmente dos problemas vinculados entre sí: la incorporación del primero en el segundo, por un lado, y la jerarquía del derecho internacional en el derecho nacional, por otro. A pesar de que las soluciones que se ofrecen a este respecto en el derecho constitucional comparado son variadas, no siempre estas se refieren al derecho internacional. Desde esta perspectiva, su situación en Chile no es tan anómala. La tendencia comparada actual, sin embargo, es asignarles un lugar cada vez más destacado a las fuentes del derecho internacional en las constituciones políticas. Una nueva Constitución para Chile nos ofrece la inmejorable oportunidad de volver sobre este importante asunto, y preguntarnos cómo regular las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno, de la manera más adecuada posible.
Este libro tiene como principal objetivo contribuir al debate constitucional chileno en asuntos que resultan ineludibles en toda discusión de esta naturaleza. Con este fin, los artículos que lo componen abordan, de una manera tanto teórica como práctica, diversos aspectos destacados de las relaciones del derecho internacional con el derecho interno. Se ofrece así, un recuento amplio y prospectivo de estas, útil no solo para quienes se involucren en el proceso constituyente nacional, sino para toda persona interesada en el derecho público en general. De esta manera, el presente libro busca no solo hacer un balance de cómo las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno se encuentran normadas en la Constitución Política de la República, sino proponer alternativas para una nueva carta fundamental en diversos temas de importancia pública, como son la institucionalidad de las relaciones exteriores en Chile; la incorporación y la jerarquía de los tratados en nuestro país; el control preventivo y la inaplicabilidad por constitucionalidad de estos; la implementación del derecho internacional por los tribunales chilenos; entre otros.
Con contribuciones de Elvira Badilla (Universidad Católica del Norte), Cristián Delpiano (Segundo Tribunal Ambiental de Santiago), Martín Loo (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso), Sebastián López E. (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Manuel Núñez P. (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso), Fernando Ochoa (Segundo Tribunal Ambiental de Santiago), Álvaro Paúl (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Sebastián Soto (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), y Osvaldo Urrutia (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso).

'The precise circumstances in which a governmental measure amounts to an indirect expropriation r... more 'The precise circumstances in which a governmental measure amounts to an indirect expropriation requiring compensation remains one of the most controversial and important questions of contemporary international investment law. This work provides a comprehensive assessment of how international law has responded to this problem, taking into account the jurisprudence from a range of international courts and tribunals. It provides a helpful oversight of how the law in this area has developed and where it may be heading in the future'.
James Harrison, University of Edinburgh Law School, UK

When does a state measure become subject to compensation as an indirect expropriation under international law? The author examines claims of indirect takings from such fora as the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, the European Court of Human Rights, and arbitral panels in investment treaty arbitrations.
Sebastián López Escarcena offers a comprehensive coverage of the history and main concepts of the international law of expropriation. The interaction between human rights conventions and investment treaties are analysed from a global perspective, providing the reader with a unique insight into expropriation at an international level. Within the course of his examination, the author illuminates important concepts of public law, from deprivation of property to payment of compensation, and from margin of appreciation to proportionality.
In examining in detail the case law of different international tribunals, this shrewd book formulates some insightful answers to the threshold question, and will be of great interest to decision-makers in investment treaty arbitrations, to legal practitioners, state officers and scholars in international investment law and international human rights law, and to anyone dealing with international and comparative law in general.

Papers by Sebastián López Escarcena

(2024) 51/1 Revista Chilena de Derecho 205

The dispute over the status and use of the waters of the Silala is the second case that Bolivia a... more The dispute over the status and use of the waters of the Silala is the second case that Bolivia and Chile have had before the International Court of Justice. Unlike the dispute over the obligation to negotiate access to the Pacific Ocean, however, in this case the Court did not to resolve the conflict in favour of any of the litigants and conclu- ded that the controversy essentially lacked an object at the time of rendering its decision. Without issuing the requested declaratory judgment, the Court found a convergence of views between the parties in most of their claims and rejected the others. The judgment in the dispute over the waters of the Silala is an unusual ruling, strongly criticised not only by some of the Court’s judges, but also by the different authors that have studied it. Not being able to prove what it had asserted before entering into trial, Bolivia changed its position throughout the process until it coincided with the main claim of Chile in this controversy: that the Silala is an international watercourse governed by customary international law, which establishes certain rights and obligations for the riparian states. Even though the judgment of the Court recorded this point, it did it in an indirect manner, without decla- ring what the agreement reached between the litigants during this trial is concretely about, and what it specially entails for Bolivia and Chile, as riparian states of the Silala.

Sebastián López Escarcena, Manuel Núñez Poblete y Jan Wouters (eds.), National Human Rights Institutions in Europe and Latin America, 2024

At present, there are quite a few informative monographs and edited books on National Human Right... more At present, there are quite a few informative monographs and edited books on National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), written from a general or a specific perspective. No publication, however, has yet contextualised and analysed the similarities and differences between European and Latin American NHRIs, providing case studies on concrete commissions, ombuds offices and institutes from across these two regions. By drawing on the existing literature, this book aims to bridge the European and Latin American experiences on NHRIs, while emphasising the essential international aspect that these institutions have. Filling a gap in the legal literature, this work is aimed at studying NHRIs from an international and comparative standpoint. As such, it not only includes introductory chapters on the relationship between NHRIs and the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), but also general contributions on European and Latin American institutions, in addition to specific case studies on commissions, ombuds offices and institutes of these regions. For this purpose, we have selected NHRIs that have proven influential in Europe and Latin America and, at times, beyond them. To ensure a synoptic and balanced view on the topic, great care has been taken in the selection of these NHRIs to include the main forms of institutional organisation. Firstly, in order to assess the distinct models they adopt, we have chosen three of the major European NHRIs: Spain’s Defensor del Pueblo, which is especially relevant to Latin America; France’s Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme (the French Commission), of great tradition in the area, and the younger, and highly interesting, Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte in Germany. Secondly, regarding Latin America, we have decided to study in this book the main institutions which adopt either an ombuds, a commission or an institute model: those of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
For all the cases examined in this volume, an effort has been made to identify the most important challenges facing NHRIs, in conjunction with their primary organisational patterns, powers and relationships with regional human rights protection systems. Consequently, the case studies included in this book outline the legal basis of each institution, emphasising their structure and mandate, in addition to their role, both as stipulated by national legislation and in terms of their participation in the international monitoring process, led today by the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). For Latin American institutions, the emphasis has been placed on their interaction with the systems of the UN and of the Organization of American States (OAS), while for European NHRIs the focus of analysis has been broader, encompassing the UN, the EU, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In the NHRIs studied throughout this book, several common challenges can be observed: building or consolidating trust; budgetary cuts; delays in the establishment processes; non-renewal of their membership by state authorities; or an expansion of roles without the necessary support in terms of personnel and infrastructure. In addition, several specific challenges have also been identified, such as the consolidation of pluralism within each institution; competition with other bodies with greater authority and social influence; and a lack of opportunities for regional cooperation.

Sebastián López Escarcena, Manuel Núñez Poblete y Jan Wouters (eds.), National Human Rights Institutions in Europe and Latin America, 2024

The Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions were first defined at a workshop,... more The Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions were first defined at a workshop, held in Paris in 1991, and were formally adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) two years later. Their relevance cannot be overstated, for they put forward the main criteria that NHRIs have to fulfil, including principles as to their role, establishment, composition, and operation. Loosely conceptualised in doctrine, NHRIs embody state self regulation and accountability in the area of human rights. Following the Paris Principles, the UN has defined them as ‘a body which is established by a Government under the constitution, or by law or decree, the functions of which are specifically designed in terms of the promotion and protection of human rights’. NHRIs typically adopt the form of a either a commission or ombudsman, the shape and size of which differs from state to state. Beyond such classic models, hybrid and specialised institutions have also been recognised as NHRIs. Since the 1990s, these permanent and independent agencies have multiplied extensively throughout the world. At present, more than 100 states have one of these administrative bodies active in their territory.
The Paris Principles have not only allowed the UN to delineate NHRIs, but have also become the benchmark used for measuring their structural design. For years, these non-binding principles have been applied as legal rules in the now all-important accreditation processes which govern these institutions. However, two questions remain: what exactly is the nature of an NHRI? And what is its main objective? This chapter seeks to answer these questions. NHRIs are the offspring of the UN’s fairly well-documented commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. For this reason, the work that follows considers the historical background within which the Paris Principles appeared, before analysing their legal status and ultimate purpose according to different theoretical perspectives in law.

Sebastián López Escarcena, Manuel Núñez Poblete y Jan Wouters (eds.), National Human Rights Institutions in Europe and Latin America, 2024

The Paris Principles are the benchmark against which all NHRIs are generally measured in the impo... more The Paris Principles are the benchmark against which all NHRIs are generally measured in the important accreditation process managed by the international network that groups them today. These principles, as construed and applied by GANHRI’s SCA, are a good example of how international law can bring the rule of law into municipal law. Because of their origin, the Paris Principles favour the human rights commission as an institutional model over the ombuds-institute and the human rights institute, and focus on the creation of NHRIs, rather than in their subsequent operation. These two aspects constitute a limitation of these principles. Even though the first of these problems has been solved in practice, the second one remains a reality that requires identifying efficiency criteria going beyond institutional design and guiding NHRIs in the effective fulfilment of their functions.
From a comparative perspective, NHRIs are a common tool of constitutional law for the promotion and protection of human rights. As this book has shown, this is particularly true for Latin American NHRIs, where the figure of the ombuds tends to take precedence over commissions or institutes. With few exceptions, the vast majority of these NHRIs enjoy a legal status that allows us to describe them as constitutional institutions, aimed at fulfilling that critical role. NHRIs’ relevance has been recently highlighted by the UN, the Council of Europe and the OAS. In 2017, the UNGA promoted the existence of independent NHRIs as an indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 16 of Agenda 2030 – that of promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies; it reiterated the significance of NHRIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years later, the UN Human Rights Council also recognised ‘the important role of national human rights institutions in highlighting the human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic’, thus renewing the global call for increased awareness about these institutions and their work. Regionally, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted in 2021 a recommendation on the development and strengthening of NHRIs, which follows on from its important 1997 recommendation on the original establishment of these institutions. The 2021 recommendation of the Committee of Ministers focuses not only on individual NHRIs, but also on the ENNHRI and GANHRI, bolstering them, respectively, as a regional promoter of technical assistance and as a global network. This is an important endorsement, given the essentially cooperative nature of NHRIs and the proven need to exchange institutional experiences. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the IACHR included NHRIs among the core elements of its 2017–2021 Strategic Plan, which in 2018 led to the signing of a Declaration of Commitment for Technical Cooperation and the creation of a Mechanism of Points of Contact that, to date, comprises a dozen NHRI members. Although this mechanism is nascent, it is a necessary companion to the as yet precarious cooperation that exists within the Network of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the American Continent (RINDHCA), which currently has 18 members, 15 of which have been accredited with ‘A-status’ and three with ‘B-status’ by GANHRI. In its 2023–2027 Strategic Plan, the IACHR mentioned following up on the Declaration of Commitment for Technical Cooperation as one of its lines of action, emphasising the need to continue expanding, diversifying, and deepening civil society participation in the activities of NHRIs.

Anne Peters (ed.), Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law , 2023

1 As a legal term, expropriation is generally equated to the taking of property by States (Hoffma... more 1 As a legal term, expropriation is generally equated to the taking of property by States (Hoffmann [2008] 153; Cox [2019] 3): ie, its actual or effective deprivation, either by ousting the owner and claiming title, or by destroying the property or severely impairing its utility. In either event, a taking may come as a nationalization or an expropriation, depending on whether it is of a general type, or is property or enterprise specific (→ Expropriation and Nationalization).
2 Direct expropriations include, at least, the transfer of the property’s title from the original owner to the → State (Sempra Energy International v Argentine [2007] para. 280); the transfer of the title to a third person (Amco Asia Corporation and others v Republic of Indonesia [1984] para. 158; → Amco v Indonesia Case); or the possession of the property without formally transferring title to the State or to a third person (Wena Hotels Ltd v Egypt [2000] para. 99). Compared with indirect expropriations, it is usually easy to establish when a direct taking has occurred, in which case → compensation will be due, regardless of the cause (Compañía del Desarrollo de Santa Elena SA v Costa Rica [2000] paras 71–72). Historically, direct expropriations were the first and most common form of taking. Nowadays, they are not frequent and only a few modern disputes have dealt with them (Ranjan and Anand [2016] 130; Zhu [2019] 378, 380; Dolzer Kriebaum and Schreuer [2022] 153).
3 Indirect expropriations refer to those measures that fall short of a direct taking, but in their effects amount to one, thus requiring compensation (CME v Czech Republic [2001] para. 604; BG Group Plc v Argentina [2007] para. 264). This type of taking is the prevalent form today. It has alternative names and definitions in international law, which stress certain aspects of what constitutes an indirect taking. Notions like de facto, disguised, creeping, consequential, or constructive expropriation, as well as regulatory takings, have been progressively developed (Hoffmann [2008] 152–54; de Nanteuil [2014] 9–13; Radi [2020] 157–59). This explains why some of them relate to behaviour that would not have provided a sound legal basis for an expropriation claim under → treaties of friendship, commerce and navigation (‘FCN’), but would do so under a bilateral investment treaty (‘BIT’) (→ Investments, Bilateral Treaties) (Reisman and Sloane [2003] 119). A creeping expropriation, for instance, has ‘a distinctive temporal quality in the sense that it encapsulates the situation whereby a series of acts attributable to the State over a period of time culminate in the expropriatory taking of such property’ (Generation Ukraine Inc v Ukraine [2003] para. 20.22). The denomination regulatory takings, on the other hand, comes from US Constitutional doctrine, and refers to those measures adopted in the exercise of the State’s powers to govern social and economic activity within its boundaries. Although it has not yet been formally used in → treaties, this type of taking can be recognized in the definition or description given by modern international agreements to expropriation (AlQurashi [2004] 901).
4 The → Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) and the → International Court of Justice (ICJ) have seldom referred to indirect expropriation in their decisions. The case law on this issue derives mainly from the ever-growing number of arbitral awards (→ Arbitral Award) in investor-State dispute settlement (‘ISDS’), mostly based on international investment agreements (‘IIAs’). Outside international investment law, the protection of property from deprivation has been addressed by regional human rights bodies in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in the Americas. Important judicial decisions for the international law of expropriation also emerge from ad hoc dispute settlement institutions, most notably the → Iran–United States Claims Tribunal (‘IUSCT’), whose jurisprudence is publicly available and constitutes an indispensable guide for international adjudicators and decision-makers confronted with indirect takings. The work of US domestic courts is highly instructive as well, and should not be overlooked in any study on the topic.

(2022) 90/252 Revista de Derecho (de la Universidad de Concepción) 189

Xucuru Indigenous People and its Members v. Brazil, and Indigenous Communities of the Lhaka Honha... more Xucuru Indigenous People and its Members v. Brazil, and Indigenous Communities of the Lhaka Honhat Association (Our Land) v. Argentina, are the latest cases on indigenous and tribal property settled by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Both judgments are relevant. The first one, for developing the state obligation of final delivery of indigenous territories and lands, free from disturbance. The second one, for detaching the right of cultural identity of indigenous peoples from their collective property, categorizing it as an autonomous economic, social and cultural right. This work analyzes these judicial decisions, highlighting the most recent one’s potential to overcome the essentialism, that has characterized such case-law. This last aspect is of the utmost importance, for decoupling cultural identity from communal property strengthens the conventional protection of peoples destined to constantly change, like any other collectivity.

(2022) 52 Revista Derecho del Estado (de la Universidad Externado de Colombia) 67

The Paris Principles are the benchmark against which national human rights institutions are measu... more The Paris Principles are the benchmark against which national human rights institutions are measured in the important accreditation process managed by the international network that groups them today. Because of their origin, these principles favour the human rights commission as institutional model over the ombudsman and the human rights institute, and focuses on the creation of these institutions, rather than in their subsequent operation. These two aspects constitute a limitation to such principles. Even though the first of these problems has been solved in practice, the second one remains a reality that requires identifying criteria of efficiency going beyond institutional design and guiding national human rights institutions in the effective fulfilment of their functions. In the case of Latin America, it is essential not to lose sight of the integration of these institutions to achieve this goal. Only with adequate personnel they can persuade and influence not only state organs, but also civil society, thus promoting and protecting the human rights of all.

Domingo Lovera (ed.), Anuario de derecho público 2020 (de la Universidad Diego Portales), 2021

Este artículo tiene por objeto contribuir al proceso constituyente chileno en una de las muchas m... more Este artículo tiene por objeto contribuir al proceso constituyente chileno en una de las muchas materias que este tendrá que abordar: el de las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno. A tal efecto, analiza los principales problemas que se presentan en este ámbito. Concretamente, los de la incorporación del derecho internacional en el derecho interno, y de la jerarquía normativa del primero respecto del segundo. Después de ponde- rar brevemente la real importancia que tiene la Ley N° 21.200 para nuestro proceso constituyente, el artículo examina la actual regulación constitucional relativa a la incorporación y jerarquía de la costumbre internacional y de los tratados en Chile, y se plantea cuáles de las normas vigentes debieran pasar a una nueva Constitución, cuáles no, y que otras sería conveniente agregar a esta, a fin de facilitar y fortalecer la inserción internacional de nuestro país en un mundo irreversiblemente globalizado.

José Manuel Alvarez y Maciej Zenkiewicz (eds.), El derecho internacional de las inversiones. Desarrollo actual de normas y principios, 2021

El presente capítulo analiza las condiciones que debe reunir una expropiación para ser considerad... more El presente capítulo analiza las condiciones que debe reunir una expropiación para ser considerada conforme a derecho internacional, tal como han sido recogidas en los tratados de inversión, así como las consecuencias teóricas y prácticas que se siguen de la distinción entre expropiación legal e ilegal. Asimismo, examina el problema de las expropiaciones indirectas en el derecho internacional de la inversión, las posibles soluciones que se han planteado al respecto en la jurisprudencia y doctrina interna- cionales, y su regulación actual en los tratados de inversión. Finalmente, este capítulo revisa el principio del respeto de las expectativas de inversión por el Estado anfitrión en el derecho internacional de la expropiación, el grado y duración de la interferencia requeridas al efecto por la jurisprudencia y la doctrina relevantes, y otros asuntos de importancia para esta, la más antigua de las protecciones de la propiedad extranjera: aquella contra la expropiación.

Sebastián López Escarcena (ed.), Temas de derecho internacional para el diálogo constitucional chileno, 2021

Este libro es el fruto de un trabajo colaborativo entre profesores de derecho de tres universidad... more Este libro es el fruto de un trabajo colaborativo entre profesores de derecho de tres universidades católicas, cuyo principal objetivo es contribuir al debate constitucional chileno en asuntos que han adquirido tal relevancia, que resultan ineludibles en toda discusión de esta naturaleza. Con este fin, los artículos que lo componen abordan, de una manera tanto teórica como práctica, diversos aspectos destacados de las relaciones del derecho internacional con el derecho interno. Se ofrece así, un recuento amplio y prospectivo de estas, útil no solo para quienes se involucren en el proceso constituyente nacional, sino para toda persona interesada en el derecho público en general. El presente libro busca hacer un balance de cómo las relaciones entre el derecho internacional y el derecho interno se encuentran reguladas en la CPR, proponiendo alternativas para una nueva Carta Fundamental en diversos temas de importancia pública, como son la institucionalidad de las relaciones exteriores en Chile; la incorporación y la jerarquía de los tratados en nuestro país; el control preventivo y la inaplicabilidad por constitucionalidad de estos; la implementación del derecho internacional por los tribunales chilenos; entre otros.

Sebastián López Escarcena (ed.), Temas de derecho internacional para el diálogo constitucional chileno, 2021

La presente contribución pretende dilucidar el rango jerárquico de los tratados en Chile. Para es... more La presente contribución pretende dilucidar el rango jerárquico de los tratados en Chile. Para este fin, comienza por hacer un breve recuento de cómo se incorporan estos al sistema jurídico nacional, asunto que ofrece el contexto necesario para comprender el que le sigue: las distintas soluciones que han dado la jurisprudencia de los tribunales chilenos y la doctrina especializada a la colisión normativa entre tratado y ley, y entre tratado y CPR. A continuación, se reseña la evolución que ha tenido el control de convencionalidad, de acuerdo con lo expuesto por la CorteIDH en su jurisprudencia sobre el tema. Dado que este control produce en la práctica un desajuste en la jerarquía de las fuentes formales chilenas, que gran parte de la jurisprudencia y doctrina nacionales han planteado, este artículo se cuestiona cómo solucionar este problema, aprovechan- do la oportunidad que una nueva Carta Fundamental nos ofrece. De este modo, el presente trabajo termina por responder a la pregunta de qué hacer con los tratados en esta, haciendo algunas propuestas de lege ferenda, con la esperanza de que se transformen en lex lata.

Sebastián Soto y Constanza Hube (eds.), Conceptos fundamentales para el debate constitucional, 2021

La regulación del derecho internacional en la actual Constitución es insuficiente para los desafí... more La regulación del derecho internacional en la actual Constitución es insuficiente para los desafíos que ofrece el mundo globalizado de hoy. Chile está obligado internacionalmente por un sinnúmero de normas consuetudinarias y convencionales, y su incumplimiento no puede justificarse en el derecho interno. Esto exige que el Estado actúe siempre como un todo, sin hacer distinciones artificiales entre lo internacional y lo nacional. Es el momento, por tanto, de incluir y, en la medida de lo posible, sistematizar el desarrollo jurisprudencial y doctrinal relativo a la incorporación y jerarquía, tanto de la costumbre internacional como de los tratados.

(2020) 22 Revista de Derecho (de la Universidad Católica del Uruguay) 112

Indirect expropriation is the prevailing form of expropriation today, and its determination const... more Indirect expropriation is the prevailing form of expropriation today, and its determination constitutes one of the main problems in international investment law. Doctrine and case-law has identified two possible solutions centered, respectively, in the effects or in the intention of the measures adopted by the host state. Of late, a third alternative has appeared that finds possible support in certain last-generation investmenttreaties. Deriving from the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights on the protection of property, it applies the principle of proportionality to determine the expropriatory nature of those measures judicially challenged by foreign investors in international arbitrations. This possible solution, however, also presents some issues of implementation. The purpose of this work is to study the application of proportionality in these disputes. Through the analysis of the relevant case-law, and the use of the dogmatic and comparative methods, the present article examines the emergence of this principle in international investment law, highlighting the differences in its application in the fora in which it has been used, to conclude that in order to become auseful instrument for solving claims of indirect expropriation it must have a clear normative basis, allowing for its employment, in tandem with the margin of appreciation, to determine the lawfulness of the respective measures, not their expropriatory nature.

(2020) 47/3 Revista Chilena de Derecho 925

The judgment on the merits of the case on the obligation to negotiate an access to the Pacific Oc... more The judgment on the merits of the case on the obligation to negotiate an access to the Pacific Ocean put an end to a judicial adventure that Bolivia started five years before against Chile. It not only resumes more than a century and a half of diplomatic exchanges between both states, but also analyses them from the perspective of international law. Little is new in this judgment with respect to treaties, unilateral acts and reciprocal behaviour of states. More interesting is the reiteration made by the tribunal of the obligations of means and of result, on one side, and of tacit agreements, on the other. This decision, however, marks a turning point in the Bolivian-Chilean relations, and constitutes a veritable tour de force of its legal evaluation.

(2018) 21/2 Gonzaga Journal of International Law 57

Several names have been proposed to replace that of international law. Among these, one can menti... more Several names have been proposed to replace that of international law. Among these, one can mention the so-called cosmopolitan law, transnational law, world law and global law. From this standpoint, an academic project has offered certain tools of analysis pivoted on what it has named global administrative law. The premises of this approach seem novel, but the contextualized examination of them enables us to conclude that they are close not only to the above-mentioned laws, but to other academic initiatives that have thought about the problem of law beyond the state, like the School of New Haven, constitutionalism or the recent projects on the Exercise of International Public Authority of the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg and on Informal International Lawmaking of The Hague Institute for the Internationalization of Law. The present article aims to study global administrative law in a critical manner, relating it to these other approaches that have reflected upon the international society and the law that governs it.

(2018) 59/8 Boston College Law Review 2595

(2018) 59/8 Boston College Law Review 2685

Global Administrative Law is an academic project that not only attempts to describe the emergence... more Global Administrative Law is an academic project that not only attempts to describe the emergence of a regulatory space beyond the state, but also to prescribe solutions to the problems it diagnoses as a result of this circumstance, through certain normative principles like participation, transparency, reasoned decision-making, judicial review; accountability, proportionality, and legitimate expectations. In the case of investment treaty arbitration, the principles advanced by GAL are akin to the constitutive elements of the fair and equitable treatment that international arbitral tribunals have identified in investor-state disputes. As classified by international law scholars, these constitutive elements of FET include due process, arbitrariness, non-discrimination, vigilance, legitimate expectations, stability and predictability, transparency, good faith, and proportionality. Incidentally, some of these principles/elements have found conventional support in state practice. Is this dogmatic similarity a mere coincidence or proof of the influence exerted by GAL’s tenets in the way the FET clause has been construed? This paper answers this question. For that purpose, it briefly explains GAL, and its approach to investment treaty arbitration, as well as the FET standard of international investment law.