Introduction to International and EU law
Literature:
- Henriksen, International Law, Oxford University Press, 2019 2 nd edition.
- Book Schutze.
- Book ABC.
- Case law: Accordance with International - Case Law: Costa v. ENEL
Law of the Unilateral Declaration of - Case Law: Simmenthal II
Independence in Respect of Kosovo. - Case Law: Ursula Becker
- Case Law: Nicaragua - Case Law: Marshall I
- Case Law: Nuclear Weapons - Case Law: Kolpinghuis
- Case Law: North Sea Continental Shelf - Case Law: Marleasing
- Case Law: Lotus - Case Law: Faccini Dori
- Case law: ERTA - Case law: Nicaragua
- Case law: Tabacco Advertising. - Case law: Armed activities
- Case law: Tehran Hostages - Case law: Foto Frost
- Case law: Tadic (Appendix) - Case law: CILFIT
- Case law: Genocide (Appendix) - Case law: Kobler
- Case Law: Van Gend & Loos
Inhoudsopgave
PROBLEM 1 – BOUGAINVILLE’S STRUGGLE FOR 1...........................................................................................2
1. WHAT IS (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL) SELF-DETERMINATION AND WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THEREOF?...............................2
2. IS A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE LAWFUL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW?...................................................................3
CASE LAW: ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW OF THE UNILATERAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IN RESPECT OF
KOSOVO, INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, 22 JULY 2010...........................................................................................3
3. IS SECESSION LAWFUL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW?....................................................................................................4
4. IN WHICH WAY IS THE SUCCESSION OF RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF (NEW) STATES ARRANGED?..................................................4
PROBLEM 2 – TAKING CONTROL OF THE EU INSTITUTIONS.............................................................................6
1. HOW IS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMPOSED AND HOW ARE ITS MEMBERS ELECTED?..................................................7
2. HOW IS THE COUNCIL OF THE EU COMPOSED?...........................................................................................................7
3. HOW IS THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION COMPOSED AND HOW ARE ITS MEMBERS SELECTED, APPOINTED OR ELECTED?.............9
4. WHAT ARE THE MAIN FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THOSE THREE EU INSTITUTIONS?........................................................9
PROBLEM 3 – DRILLING IN THE CONTINENTAL SHELF....................................................................................12
1. WHAT IS CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW?............................................................................................................12
CASE LAW: NICARAGUA............................................................................................................................................14
CASE LAW: NORTH SEA CONTINENTAL SHELF................................................................................................................15
CASE LAW: NUCLEAR WEAPONS.................................................................................................................................15
CASE LAW: LOTUS....................................................................................................................................................16
2. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TREATY AND CUSTOM? OR: WHAT IF A TREATY NORM COLLIDES WITH A CUSTOMARY
INTERNATIONAL LAW RULE? WHAT IF THEY COEXIST?.....................................................................................................16
3. HOW SHOULD A TREATY BE INTERPRETED?...............................................................................................................17
PROBLEM 4 – LAW IN ACTION...................................................................................................................... 18
1. WHEN IS THE EU COMPETENT TO ACT? WHAT ARE THE COMPETENCES OF THE EU?.......................................................18
CASE LAW: TABACCO ADVERTISING.............................................................................................................................19
CASE LAW: ERTA.....................................................................................................................................................20
2. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF EU COMPETENCE?............................................................................................................21
3. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY? YOU ONLY NEED TO FOCUS ON SUBSIDIARITY. THE PRINCIPLE OF
CONFERRAL AND PROPORTIONALITY WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE LECTURE. ........................................................................22
4. WHICH ARE THE EU LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURES? DIRECT EFFECT ISN'T PART OF THIS PROBLEM..........................................23
PROBLEM 5 – RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OR WHOM?....................................................................................26
1
, 1. HOW IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STATES REGULATED IN INTERNATIONAL LAW? OR: UNDER WHICH CONDITIONS CAN A STATE BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE/RESPONSIBLE UNDER THE ILC ARTICLES ON RESPONSIBILITY OF STATES FOR INTERNATIONALLY WRONGFUL
CONDUCT?.............................................................................................................................................................27
CASE LAW: NICARAGUA............................................................................................................................................28
CASE LAW: PROSECUTOR V. DUSKO TADIC...................................................................................................................29
CASE LAW: GENOCIDE (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA V. SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO)...........................................................30
CASE LAW: TEHERAN HOSTAGES................................................................................................................................30
2. ARE THERE WAYS TO PRECLUDE THE WRONGFULNESS OF AN ACT/OMISSION? OR: ARE THERE EXCEPTIONS FOR STATE
RESPONSIBILITY?......................................................................................................................................................31
PROBLEEM 6 – NET NEUTRALITY.................................................................................................................. 32
1. WHAT IS DIRECT EFFECT OF EU LAW?......................................................................................................................32
CASE LAW: VAN GEND & LOOS.................................................................................................................................33
2. HOW COULD DIRECTIVES HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT IN THE NATIONAL LEGAL ORDER?..........................................................35
CASE LAW: URSULA BECKER......................................................................................................................................35
CASE LAW: KOLPINGHUIS..........................................................................................................................................36
CASE LAW: MARSHALL I............................................................................................................................................37
CASE LAW: FACCINI DORI..........................................................................................................................................38
CASE LAW: MARLEASING..........................................................................................................................................39
3. WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF SUPREMACY OF EU LAW?................................................................................................39
CASE LAW: COSTA V. ENEL.......................................................................................................................................39
CASE LAW: SIMMENTHAL II.......................................................................................................................................40
PROBLEM 7 – IS THE USE OF FORCE ALLOWED?............................................................................................42
1. UNDER WHICH CONDITIONS DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW ALLOW THE USE OF FORCE BY STATES? YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DISCUSS
AUTORISATION BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL AS A CONDITION FOR THE USE OF FORCE BECAUSE IT WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE
WEBLECTURES..........................................................................................................................................................42
CASE LAW: NICARAGUA............................................................................................................................................45
2. WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE AND UNDER WHICH CONDITIONS MAY ACTORS HAVE ACCESS TO
THE ICJ? OR: WHICH ARE THE GROUNDS FOR JURISDICTION OF THE ICJ?..........................................................................46
CASE LAW: ARMED ACTIVITIES...................................................................................................................................48
PROBLEM 8 – TO ASK OR NOT TO ASK, THAT IS THE QUESTION....................................................................49
1. HOW, BASED ON WHAT PROCEDURE, CAN PRIVATE PARTIES CHALLENGE AN EU ACT THROUGH THEIR NATIONAL COURTS? OR:
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NATIONAL COURTS IN PROTECTING PRIVATE PARTIES AGAINST EU ACTS? OR: HOW CAN PRIVATE PARTIES
MAKE SURE THAT THEIR NATIONAL COURT REFERS THE CASE TO THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU (CJEU)?..........................49
CASE LAW: CILFIT...................................................................................................................................................51
CASE LAW: KÖBLER..................................................................................................................................................52
2. ARE NATIONAL COURTS ALLOWED TO NULLIFY EU LEGISLATION?..................................................................................52
CASE LAW: FOTO FROST............................................................................................................................................52
Problem 1 – Bougainville’s struggle for 1
Henriksen, International Law, Oxford University Press, 2019 2nd edition: chapter 4.2.5 and 4.2.7.
Case law: Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of
Kosovo.
1. What is (internal and external) self-determination and what are the conditions thereof?
LD 1: Wat is (interne en externe) zelfbeschikking en wat zijn de voorwaarden hiervoor?
The right of self-determination = all people have a right to freely determine their political status and pursue
their economic, social and cultural development.
- See Art, 1 UN Charter and art. 1, 1966 ICCPR.
The ICJ stated that the right to self-determination is an essential principle of international law that has an erga
onmes character (that means ‘naar alle’ of ‘in richting van iedereen’; ofwel een recht dat voor iedereen geldt).
At first, the right of self-determination did not emerge as a fundamental principle of international law. Today,
the right of self-determination can be found in a number of important legal documents.
2
,Internal and external self-determination
Internal self-determination (autonomy)= This means autonomy. People pursue their political, economic, social
and cultural development within the framework of an existing state.
- The right of self-determination of people is normally fulfilled by internal self-determination.
- Bijvoorbeeld: In Nederland de provincies die hun eigen autonomie hebben.
External self-determination = a right with the option of seceding (afscheiding).
- Arises only in the most extreme cases.
o Dus remedial seccesion zoals in het college werd genoemd, alleen wanneer de situatie zo
extreem is dat het scheiden van een staat de enige oplossing lijkt te zijn, wordt het
geaccepteerd.
o Bijvoorbeeld: de provincie Friesland die wil scheiden van de Nederlandse Staat.
o Example: Greenland. They had the right to external self-determination, but decided to remain
a part of Denmark.
- Who have a right to external self-determination? / conditions for external self-determination:
o Colonized people think about our colonies in the past
OR:
o People who find themselves subject to alien (= foreign) subjugation, alien domination or alien
exploitation is close to colonized but isn’t the same
These people have a right to external self-determination, that can give them the right to create
their own independent state.
2. Is a declaration of independence lawful under international law?
LD 2: Is een onafhankelijkheidsverklaring volgens het internationaal recht geoorloofd?
Case law: Accordance with international law of the unilateral declaration of independence in
respect of Kosovo, International Court of Justice, 22 July 2010
Facts:
A number of participants have claimed that the population of Kosovo has the right to create an independent
State. In other words, a right to self-determination or just as what they described as a right of remedial
secession in the face of the situation in Kosovo.
Whether, outside the context of non-self-governing territories and peoples subject to alien subjugation,
domination and exploitation, the international law of self-determination confers upon part of the population of
an existing State a right to separate from that State is, however, a subject on which radically different views
were expressed by those taking part in the proceedings and expressing a position on the question.
Questions:
Question 1: Does international law provide for a right to ‘remedial secession’?
- And, if so, under what circumstances?
Question 2: Were the circumstances, which some participants maintained would give rise to a right of
"remedial secession", actually present in Kosovo?
The court does not consider it necessary to resolve those questions in the present case.
Question of the General Assembly: Is the declaration of independence in accordance with international law?
Considerations:
To answer the question of the General Assembly the Court need only determine whether the declaration of
independence violated either general international law or the lex specialis (= special legal provisions take
precedence over general) created by Security Council resolution.
Decision:
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, The court considers that general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declarations of
independence. Therefore the declaration of independence is not in conflict with general international law.
So answering the learning objective:
A declaration of independence does not mean you have the right of external self-determination.
While the ICJ had the opportunity to state its position on whether Kosovo was entitled to secede in the
advisory opinion, the Court unfortunately refrained from doing so. It limited itself to stating that there are
‘radically different views’ on whether the right to self-determination offers a right to secession for other
peoples than those in ‘non-self-governing territories and peoples subject to alien subjugation, domination and
exploitation’ but that international law does not preclude Kosovo from issuing a declaration of independence.
3. Is secession lawful under international law?
LD 3: Is afscheiding volgens het internationaal recht geoorloofd?
Secession = The action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political
state.
It is very doubtful whether people who are neither colonized nor subject to alien subjugation, domination or
exploitation can claim a right to external self-determination and thus have the right to secede. Accepting such a
right requires truly exceptional circumstances.
International stability speaks in favor of keeping the territorial integrity of a ‘mother-state’ intact and requiring
people to pursue their right to self-determination within the existing state. The need for stability and
respect for existing territorial borders is reflected in the so-called ‘safeguard clause’.
Safeguard clause = stipulates that there can be no question of remedial secession in a state where the
government represents the whole of the people or peoples within its territory on a basis of equality and
without discrimination.
2 points with regard to the self-determination and statehood: An affirmed right to external self-determination
need not lead to a claim for secession.
- A people with a right to statehood may well decide that their interests as a people are presently best
served by remaining within an existing state.
- Example: Greenland. They had the right to external self-determination but decided to remain a part of
Denmark.
1. International law doesn’t prevent a ‘mother-state’ from consenting to the secession of part of its territory.
- The 2014 referendum in Scotland on potential Scottish independence from the UK was arranged after
the British government had accepted that Scotland could potentially leave the Union if they so wished.
4. In which way is the succession of rights and duties of (new) states arranged?
LD 4: Op welke manier is de opvolging van rechten en plichten van (nieuwe) staten geregeld?
H4.2.7 – State succession
It is vital for the maintenance of international stability and predictability that international society is able to
manage the disappearance of old states or the emergence of new states in a stable and predictable manner.
State succession = the replacement of one state by another in the responsibility for the international relations
of territory.
2 conventions on state succession exist:
1. The 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties
2. The 1983 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and
Debts
Only the 1978 Convention is in force, but many of the provisions of the 1983 Convention reflect customary
international law
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