再生能源補貼適用於補貼協定之限制及新政策空間

Abstract

政府透過補貼此一經濟政策工具促進再生能源產業之發展，在WTO規範下是否具備正當性，於Canada – Renewable Energy一案後，產生相當熱烈的討論。換言之，政府透過補貼扶植並促進初生的再生能源產業，使其達到相當經濟規模並得與傳統能源競爭，最終達到代替再生能源之市場效果，是否為WTO規範所容許，不僅關乎於WTO規範之解釋，更涉及「再生能源」之認識、「能源治理」之了解、「補貼」之經濟分析與法律解釋之辯論、對於貿易及氣候變遷與貿易及永續發展之關聯性、對於貿易規範與產業政策之互動等諸多層次且相當豐富之探討。 在分析再生能源補貼在國際經貿規範之脈絡下可能面臨之侷限前，本文擬從「促進再生能源之發展」及「補貼措施」，爬梳並彙整再生能源補貼之政策正當性。首先，從氣候變遷規範、永續發展及綠色經濟，整理並確認發展再生能源之重要性。其次，當政府基於氣候變遷之減緩、永續發展或綠色經濟轉型而欲促進再生能源發展時，其面臨之市場失靈與能源市受傳統能源補貼而扭曲之困境，以及政府透過補貼解決上述困境時之論理基礎。第三，政府實施再生能源補貼之類型化。在透過上述分析確認再生補貼之政策正當性後，本文擬分析多數再生能源補貼措施於補貼協定下可能面臨被控訴之風險或違反既有規範。此外，雖然Canada – Renewable Energy之上訴機構試圖在補貼協定下，透過受有利益要件之解釋，為再生能源補貼建立安全港，惟由於其解釋方法及策略過於偏離以市場為基準之基礎，故該等安全港實際上並不堅固。 因此，本文擬提出單純從解釋論並無法有效解決再生能源補貼於補貼協定下面臨之侷限。本文認為透過立法建構再生能源補貼之安全港始能建構再生能源補貼於WTO規範下之新政策空間，故提出以《關於再生能源補貼之瞭瞭解書》作為立法回應。最後，本文另以專章討論挾帶自製率之再生能源補貼引發之爭議，雖然現行WTO規範及主流見解認為挾帶自製率之再生能源補貼不具備進入安全港之正當性，且若考量自製率作為產業政策之效率及其對於外國投資之誘因，似乎無法正當化其進入再生能源補貼之安全港。惟本文仍試圖透國綠能政策目的與藍海產業政策作為一整體觀察，若藍海產業政策程度上仍有助於綠能政策目的之達成，則其於WTO下未必沒有被正當化之空間。

Renewable Energy subsidy is one of the most widely used policy instruments to promote and develop the renewable energy industry. The rationale behind the renewable energy subsidy can be found from the two perspectives. One is the policy objectives of promoting renewable energy, which the foundation could be established, based on several international law system or principles, such as climate change mitigation, sustainable development, and green economy. The other is the rationale of using subsidy as the policy instrument to develop infant industry and helps such industry to reach the scale. From both perspectives, the legitimacy of the renewable energy subsidy can be established. After the case of Canada – Renewable Energy regarding whether the feed-in tariff attaching local content requirement is consistent with the relevant WTO rules has been raised by the European Union and Japan to the WTO dispute settlement system, the legitimacy of renewable subsidy as well as its policy space under WTO law have become the spotlight in both academic and practicing field. The Appellate Body Report of Canada – Renewable Energy has even busted out controversies on how to interpret and understand the definition of subsidy which is set forth in the SCM Agreement. In other words, even the renewable energy subsidy is recognized as have strong legitimate basis, the policy space of using subsidy to promote and develop renewable energy industry may be constrained under WTO regal regime since it might be easily challenged as prohibited or actionable subsidy. In addition, the controversies resulting from the Canada – Renewable Energy Appellate Body Report also shows that simply building up the “safe harbor” of renewable energy subsidy under WTO law through the treaty interpretation may not help. Rather, the law reform may be the appropriate approach to safeguard the policy space of renewable energy subsidy under WTO legal regime. Based on the foregoing, the thesis firstly tries to identify the importance of the renewable energy, and the barriers of promoting and developing the renewable energy industry. Secondly, the thesis tries to identify the rationale of using subsidy as a policy instrument to overcome the barriers and further identifies the typology of the current renewable subsidies which are imposed by the WTO members. Thirdly, the thesis argues that under SCM Agreement, most types of the renewable energy subsidies fall within the meaning of the definition of subsidy and may be challenged under SCM Agreement, namely, the policy space of renewable subsidy is constrained. In addition, taking the analysis under Canada – Renewable Energy Appellate Body Report, the thesis further argues that simply building up the “safe harbor” of renewable energy subsidy under WTO law by treaty interpretation may not help. Lastly, the thesis argues that the law reform may be the appropriate approach to safeguard the policy space of the renewable energy subsidy. The thesis then provide a draft “Understanding in Respect of the Renewable Energy Subsidy” in the WTO framework as the conclusion. As a noting chapter, after providing the draft Understanding, the thesis tries develop the possibility of establishing the legitimacy of using local content requirement attaching in the renewable energy subsidy.