logo czasopisma

Artykuły

Tom 60 Nr 1 (2026): Prawo i Więź

Coordinating Environmental Standards and Trade Competition: European Union Legal Approaches and Implications for Vietnam

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36128/hywrjs40
Przesłane
5 grudnia 2025
Opublikowane
19 lutego 2026 — zaktualizowane 20 marca 2026
Wersje

Abstrakt

The increasing integration of environmental protection into global trade governance has resulted in structural tensions between sustainability standards and competitive market conditions. While environmental regulations aim to address climate, biodiversity, and pollution challenges, they may simultaneously raise production costs, restrict market access, and generate perceptions of green protectionism. The European Union (EU) has developed an advanced legal framework to reconcile these tensions by integrating environmental considerations into competition law, trade policy, and regulatory governance. This paper examines the main sources of conflict between environmental standards and trade competition and analyses the EU’s mechanisms for regulatory coherence, proportionality, and differentiated obligations. On this basis, it explores implications for Vietnam as the country implements new-generation free trade agreements and strengthens its domestic environmental governance. The study argues that coordinated legal frameworks, transparent procedures, impact assessments, and institutional cooperation are essential tools for balancing environmental ambition with economic competitiveness. The findings contribute to the broader discussion on how developing economies can navigate sustainability transitions without undermining their strategic trade interests.

Bibliografia

  1. Bartels Lorand, “The EU’s Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters: Towards Co-regulatory Governance?” Journal of International Economic Law, No. 3 (2021): 465-491.
  2. Cottier Thomas, Panagiotis Delimatsis, The Prospects of International Trade Regulation in the Era of Sustainable Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
  3. Ellerman Denny, Emission Trading in the European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
  4. EuroCham Vietnam, CBAM Position Paper & Green Compliance in Vietnam. Green Growth Sector Committee. Hanoi: EuroCham Vietnam, 2023.
  5. EuroCham Vietnam, Position Paper on CBAM and Vietnam’s Readiness. Hanoi: EuroCham Vietnam, 2023.
  6. Jordan Andrew, Andrea Lenschow, “Environmental Policy Integration: A State of the Art Review” Environmental Policy and Governance, No. 3 (2010): 147-158.
  7. Knox John H., “The Judicial Resolution of Conflicts Between Trade and the Environment” Harvard Environmental Law Review, 28 (2004): 1-64.
  8. Koskenniemi, Martti. Report of the Study Group of the ILC. A/CN.4/L.682, 2006. Accessed August 2, 2025. https://legal.un.org/ilc/documentation/english/a_cn4_l682.pdf.
  9. Lafarge André, “The Impact of CBAM on International Trade” Journal of Environmental Law (2021): 121.
  10. Matsushita Mitsuo, Thomas J. Schoenbaum, Petros C. Mavroidis, Michael Hahn, The World Trade Organization: Law, Practice, and Policy. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
  11. Michaels Ralf, “The Functional Method of Comparative Law,” [in:] The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law, ed. Mathias Reimann, Reinhard Zimmermann. 339-382. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  12. Nguyen, Quoc Hoan, Comparative Law Textbook. Hanoi: People’s Police Publishing House, 2017.
  13. OECD, Aligning Policies for a Low-carbon Economy. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2021.
  14. OECD, Environmental Performance Reviews: Key Environmental Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2020.
  15. OECD, Environmental Requirements and Market Access. OECD Trade Policy Studies. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2011. https://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/non-tariff-measures.htm.
  16. Sands Philippe, Jacqueline Peel, Principles of International Environmental Law. 4th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
  17. Smith Alice, The EU and Developing Countries: Environmental Trade Policy. London: Routledge, 2017.
  18. UNDP Vietnam, Policy Brief: Governance for Green Trade and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Hanoi: UNDP Vietnam, 2022. https://www.undp.org/vietnam/publications.
  19. UNDP Vietnam and CIEM, Báo cáo đánh giá khung pháp lý về liên kết thương mại – môi trường trong bối cảnh thực thi EVFTA. Hanoi: UNDP Vietnam, 2023.
  20. Van Assche Ari, Minna Sorsa, European Union Law and Policy on Trade and Environment. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
  21. Van Asselt Harro, Michael Mehling, “Trade and Climate Change: Towards a Legal Framework for Border Carbon Adjustments” European Journal of International Law, No. 2 (2018): 411-436.
  22. Watson Alan, Legal Transplants: An Approach to Comparative Law. 2nd ed. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2000.
  23. World Trade Organization, Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). 1995. https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/17-tbt.pdf.
  24. Young Oran R., “The Coordination of Environmental and Trade Policies in the EU” European Law Journal (2020).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.