Costa Rica

Interpretative declaration:

In the case of the Republic of Costa Rica, for the purposes of the implementation of article 27 of the Protocol, the Ministries of the Treasury, Public Health, Economic Affairs, Trade and Industry, the Interior and Police, and Public Security shall be responsible for proposing any amendments to domestic laws, regulations and rules in general that might be required for compliance with this Protocol, within their competencies and powers, and without prejudice to the constitutional powers vested in the legislative and executive branches.

Interpretative Declarations:

Article 2 of the Act approving the Convention stipulates that "The Government of the Republic of Costa Rica declares that it shall interpret, in respect of article 11, paragraph 1, of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, that if extradition is not appropriate and the case is found to be time-barred, the acts cannot be tried in national territory."
Article 3 of the Act approving the Convention establishes that "The Government of Costa Rica affirms that article 15 of the Convention, in accordance with article 31 of the Political Constitution, shall be interpreted to mean that the State does not relinquish its power to classify [an offence] in the specific case when a request for extradition is reviewed."

Declaration:

... article 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica proscribes the army as a permanent institution. Accordingly, my Government considers that the declaration in question may be dispensed with for the purposes of article 3, paragraph 2, of the Protocol.

Reservation:

The Government of the Republic enters a reservation to article 2, paragraph 2, of the Convention, to the effect that limiting the scope of application of the Convention is contrary to the pacifist thinking of our country and, accordingly, that, in the event of conflicts with the application of the Convention, Costa Rica will, where necessary, give precedence to humanitarian law.

Upon signature:

The Government of Costa Rica declares that the provisions of Costa Rican law under which foreign vessels must pay for licences to fish in its exclusive economic zone, shall apply also to fishing for highly migratory species, pursuant to the provisions of articles 62 and 64, paragraph 2, of the Convention.

Reservations and declarations made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

1. With regard to articles 11 and 12, the delegation of Costa Rica wishes to make a reservation to the effect that the Costa Rican system of constitutional law does not authorize any form of consent which is not subject to ratification by the Legislative Assembly.
2. With regard to article 25, it wishes to make a reservation to the effect that the Political Constitution of Costa Rica does not permit the provisional application of treaties, either.
3. With regard to article 27, it interprets this article as refer ring to secondary law and not to the provisions of the Political Constitution.
4. With regard to article 38, its interpretation is that no customary rule of general international law shall take precedence over any rule of the Inter-American System to which, in its view, this Convention is supplementary.