SummaryoftheJudgmentof20February1969
NORTHSEACONTINENTALSHELFCASES(FederalRepublicofGermany
vDenmark;FRGvNetherlands
)
Judgmentof20February1969
TheCourtdeliveredjudgment,by11votesto6,intheNorth
SeaContinentalShelfcases.
Thedispute,whichwassubmittedtotheCourton20February
1967,relatedtothedelimitationofthecontinentalshelf
betweentheFederalRepublicofGermanyandDenmarkontheone
hand,andbetweentheFederalRepublicofGermanyandthe
Netherlandsontheother.ThePartiesaskedtheCourttostate
theprinciplesandrulesofinternationallawapplicable,and
undertookthereaftertocarryoutthedelimitationsonthat
basis.
TheCourtrejectedthecontentionofDenmarkandthe
Netherlandstotheeffectthatthedelimitationsinquestion
hadtobecarriedoutinaccordancewiththeprincipleof
equidistanceasdefinedinArticle6ofthe1958Geneva
ConventionontheContinentalShelf,holding:
-thattheFederalRepublic,whichhadnotratifiedthe
Convention,wasnotlegallybounbytheprovisionsofArticle
6;
-thattheequidistanceprinciplewasnotanecessary
consequenceofthegeneralconceptofcontinentalshelfrights,
andwasnotaruleofcustomaryinternationallaw.
Non-ApplicabilityofArticle6ofthe1958ContinentalShelf
Convention(paras.21-36oftheJudgment)
TheCourtthenturnedtothequestionwhetherindelimiting
thoseareastheFederalRepublicwasunderalegalobligation
toaccepttheapplicationoftheequidistanceprinciple.While
itwasprobablytruethatnoothermethodofdelimitationha
thesamecombinationofpracticalconvenienceancertaintyof
application,thosefactorsdidnotsufficeofthemselvesto
convertwhatwasamethointoaruleoflaw.Suchamethowoul
havetodrawitslegalforcefromotherfactorsthanthe
existenceofthoseadvantages.
Thefirstquestiontobeconsiderewas