Commercial Law Reform in territories subject to International Administration. Kosovo & Iraq. Different standards of legitimacy and accountability?

The paper will address questions of legality and accountability of the legislative functions exerted by international territorial administrations1 in the field of commercial law in two recent scenarios that are theoretically different: a UN-authorized mission under Chapter VII of the UN Chart and th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alejandro Carballo Leyda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Asociación Española de Profesores de Derecho Internacional y Relaciones Internacionales (AEPDIRI) 2008-01-01
Series:Revista Electrónica de Estudios Internacionales
Subjects:
CPA
Online Access:http://www.reei.org/index.php/revista/num16/articulos/commercial-law-reform-in-territories-subject-to-international-administration-kosovo-iraq-different-standards-of-legitimacy-and-accountability
Description
Summary:The paper will address questions of legality and accountability of the legislative functions exerted by international territorial administrations1 in the field of commercial law in two recent scenarios that are theoretically different: a UN-authorized mission under Chapter VII of the UN Chart and that of a strictly Occupying Power. No attempt will be made to study other important and interrelated issues, such as the problematic privatizations carried out in Kosovo and Iraq, which do not seem to be compatible with the obligation of administration of public assets (Art. 55 of the 1907 Hague Regulations).This paper will first provide a brief overview of the deep economic legislative reformation that took place in Iraq and Kosovo during the very early stages. Most of the scholar literature focused on criminal law and human rights aspects, leaving aside commercial law reforms; yet, those profound commercial reforms have resulted in a drastic economic transformation from a planned, centrally controlled, socialist system into a liberal, marketoriented, capitalist economy. The radical nature of those changes raises the question of their conformity with relevant international law and the need for public accountability.Part III will then explore the sources of legality invoked so far (namely UN Mandates, International Humanitarian Law, and authority invested by local intervention) by the academic world, experts and intervening actors as basis for the commercial reformation in Kosovo and Iraq, and whether the actual results comply with the discretion vested in the temporal administrations by those sources. Finally, in Part IV problems of judicial review and public accountability in relation to the law-making function of those international administrations in Iraq and Kosovo will be considered.
ISSN:1697-5197