Summary seminar’s Public Internatinal aa
Seminar 1
iterature: Henriksen, Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
Assignments aeek 1
Part A (True/False Questinss
Questin 1
The principle of sovereignty forms the foundaton of the internatonal legal order.
Explain in approximately 5 lines if this statement is true or false.
This statement is true. In 1648 (Peace if Westphalias, the principle if sivereignty aas recignized fir
the frst tme in internatinal afairs basis if the Euripean irder (befire that there aere a lit if
aarss
Sivereignty means:
- States and the king aere given the highest piaers aithin its territiry,
- They aere nit hierarchically dependent in any ither piaer in the airld, independent if
ither ciuntries and the church.
With this recignitin, came the develipment if the internatinal legal irder. The creatin if
sivereign states meant that these states had ti deal aith each ither (they aaged aar, traded, etc.s.
All these relatins had ti be regulated betaeen the sivereign states. By develiping these rules, an
internatinal legal irder gradually develiped.
Baudin develiped sivereignty and diferent dimensiins if sivereignty:
- Internal sovereignty (suprema potestas): the state is the highest piaer aithin its ian
territiry. All the ciuntries need ti fillia the rules if internatinal laa aithin its sivereignty
ti ahich they gave cinsent. Frim this fias the jurisdictin if the state iver its ian
territiry. This jurisdictin has 3 dimensiins:
1. egislatve,
2. Adjudicatve
3. Executve jurisdictin.
- Sovereign equality: equals can nit have piaer iver each ither, the ciuntries are all
sivereign. Frim this fias immunity, see hia this airks iut at questin 4. Because states
are equal they cannit adjudicate iver each ither ir firce there rules iver each ither, this is
nit pissible because they are equal, nit thriugh adjudicatin ir legislatin (and if ciurse
nit enfircements.
The next questin is abiut hia sivereignty, hia rules can be firced in states. Because states are
the highest piaers, states have ti cinsent ti the rules if the rules aant ti be binding.
Siurces if internatinal laa, art. 38 if the Statue if the Internatinal Ciurt if Justce:
Primary siurces
- Internatinal cinventins
- Internatinal custim
, - General principles if internatinal laa.
Secindary siurces:
- Judicial decisiin
- Teachings if the mist highly qualifed publicists
2 elements if Custimary laa:
- General practce (Usus): simething that states di mist if the tme.
- Accepted as law (opinio uris): states din’t di simething a certain aay, but because they
think this is required if them by laa. They act because they think it is already a laa. Explicit
state cinsent is nit required fir ipiniin uris.
Queston 2
A treaty that codifes customary internatonal law also binds non-state partes. Explain in
approximately 5 lines if this statement is true or false.
The statement is false.
When a treaty cidifes custimary internatinal laa, the partes ti the treaty aill be biund by the
treaty as aell as custimary internatinal laa ahile nin-partes are inly biund by the later. In
practce all states are under the same substantal ibligatin. When a treaty cintains elements if
bith cidifcatin if existng custimary laa and prigressive develipments, nin-partes are inly
biund by the firmer. If, hiaever state practce develips aling the lines if the prigressive parts if
the treat, the later may alsi becime binding in the states that are nit partes ti the treaty.
Si, the treaty diesn’t bind the nin-state partes, the custimary laa in the treaty binds the nin-state
partes.
Queston 3
The United Natons has legal personality under both domestc law and public internatonal law.
This statement is true. Mist internatinal irganizatins have independent legal persinality: this
allias the irganizatin ti act independently in its ian name in internatinal afairs. The UN has
legal persinality, this aas determined by the ICJ. Otheraise the UN can’t fulfll their functins, si the
legal persinality is implicitly given.
egal persinality means it can hild and be held respinsible fir aringful acts, it can cinclude
treates in its ian name. This legal persinality must be distnguished frim legal persinality under
dimestc laa (e.g. pissibility ti hire buildingss. The internatinal legal persinality must therefire nit
be cinfused aith the dimestc legal persinality.
The UN has legal persinality alsi under dimestc laa, this fillias frim art. 104 if the Charter if the
UN. The member natins need ti give the UN legal persinality aithin their territiry.
Explain in approximately 5 lines if this statement is true or false.
,Queston 4
The personal immunity of high-ranking state ofcials leads to impunity. Explain in approximately 5
lines if this statement is true or false.
This statement is false. High ranking fireign state ifcials are inviolable: they cannit be arrested,
detained, and their priperty cannit be seized, they cannit be adjudicated. Impunity means that
there is a crime, but there is ni ciurt ahi prisecutes simeine. But persinal immunity dies nit
ifer absilute pritectin frim criminal jurisdictin.
In Arrest Warrant, the Ciurt stated that criminal prisecutin if a high ranking ifcer is pissible in
fiur circumstances, Reasins ahy immunity diesn’t lead ti impunity:
- Immunity means yiu can’t be prisecuted by ither states, but if ciurse yiu can by yiur ian
state.
- The ian ciuntry can aave the immunity
- Immunity diesn’t mean yiu can’t be prisecuted in frint if special criminal ciurts, like the
internatinal criminal tribunals.
All if abive applies ahen high state ifcers are in ifce. Afer they step dian their persinal
immunity gies aaay. The inly have functonal immunity: acts cimmited as part if their functin.
Nia clearer abiut schema immunity:
There are three types if enttes ahich enjiy immunites ahich fias frim the sovereignty of states
(external sovereignty):
1. State immunity: the state itself enjiys immunity, mist fundamental firm if immunity: enjiy
immunity frim the ciurts if ither states.
Case if this aeek abiut state immunity ICJ Italy vs Germany: it is abiut aar crimes
cimmited by Germany against Italians during the secind airld aar. Germany has admited
these crimes and say they aere illegal. But Italians aent ti Italian ciurts ti sea them.
Germany said that this is nit pissible in frint if natinal ciurts, even thiugh these crimes
aere extreme.
The ciurt agreed aith Germany, state immunity gies far.
The custimary laa abiut state immunity is cidifed in the 2004 UN Cinventin.
Si these siurces are impirtant abiut state immunity. These siurces make a distnctin
betaeen tai sirts if state immunity:
- Acte jure imperii: acts if the state as a state, sivereign givernment acts. Fir these acts the
state has immunity even thiugh they are illegal
- Acte jure gestinis: cimmercial actvites if the states. Acts ahich all peiple ciuld alsi act,
cimmercial transactins like nirmal peiple ae ciuld alsi di. Fir these acts the states din’t
have immunity.
Si, it is nit abiut the illegality if the act, it is abiut the nature of the act if the state is actng
in its sivereign piaer ir cimmercially.
2. Immunity of state representatves: fir this sirt if immunity the ICJ arrest Warrant is
impirtant. Immunity if the state representatves fias if the state immunity but it’s a
diferent kind if immunity. There is an impirtant distnctin: all representatves if the state
have functonal immunity, think abiut a nirmal minister. Hiaever, acts cimmited in
, private, can be adjudicated by the ciurts if anither state.
Excepton: But three representatves if the state have absilute immunity: head if state,
head if givernment, minister if fireign afairs: full persinal immunity if all acts ahile they
are in ifce befire ciurts in ither states (but the circumstances if the arrest Warrant alsi
apply here, see abives. Afer they step dian they can be adjudicated fir persinal acts
during their tme in ifce ir fir acts befire and afer their tme in ifce.
3. Diplomatc immunity: this has its ian treaty the Vienna Cinventin in Diplimatc Relatins.
Anything yiu aant ti knia abiut diplimatc immunity is in this treaty, the immunity if
diplimats alsi gies far as ling as they are statined there as diplimats.
Part B (Priblem Questinss
Questin 1
On 27 Octiber 2017, the autinimius regiin if Catalinia declared independence frim Spain.
Assume that Catalinia nia aishes ti becime a member if the United Natins.
Assume that yiu airk as a juniir assiciate at the legal department if the nealy established Ministry
fir Fireign Afairs in Barcelina and yiur supervisir, ahi is respinsible fir the applicatin
pricedure, asks yiu ti draf a brief memirandum in ahich yiu discuss the requirements fir
membership and the pricedure that Catalinia needs ti fillia.
Please draf yiur (handaritens memirandum if abiut 500 airds in accirdance aith the
methidiligy that yiu practced in yiur frst year if laa schiil in the Intriductin ti Public
Internatinal aa ciurse.
Problem 1:
Issue: here the legal questins shiuld be firmulated. Is Catalinia allegeable as a member if the UN?
Requirements fir the UN
Pricedure ti fillia
Rule:
Requirements membership:
Charter if the UN: Art. 4 paragraph 1: membership in the UN is ipen ti ither peace living
states (states ahi aanted ti jiin the UN laters.
Requirements:
1. Peace living
2. State
3. Must be able and ailling ti carry iut the ibligatins that fia frim the charter.
When is simething a State:
- Mintevidei cinventin, art 1 fiur requirements:
1. Permanent pipulatin
2. Defned territiry