Le mécanisme de règlement des différends de l’O.M.C. se distingue des autres juridictions internationales en ce qu’il comporte un ensemble sophistiqué de procédures spécifiquement et exclusivement destinées à traiter les désaccords pouvant surgir au cours de l’exécution de l’obligation qui résulte pour un Membre de la décision juridictionnelle qui déclare sa responsabilité. Leur existence même et la façon dont les organes de jugement s’acquittent de leur mission témoignent de ce que l’exécution des obligations résultant des actes juridictionnels dans l’ordre international n’échappe pas fatalement au droit. Ainsi, le système de l’O.M.C. exprime mais aussi réalise une ambition singulière en droit international : renforcer la garantie de la légalité en habilitant la juridiction à encadrer, contrôler, et, en définitive, participer à assurer l’exécution de ses propres décisions. The WTO dispute settlement system has created a sophisticated set of procedures designed with the sole purpose of dealing with all disagreements that can arise between the parties during the implementation process. The very existence of these procedures, and the manner in which the adjudicative bodies accomplish their task, give evidence of the fact that compliance with judgments in the international legal order does not inevitably lie outside the realm of the law. The WTO system thereby expresses but also fulfills a strong ambition, unique when considered through the lens of international law: strengthening the rule of law by vesting the adjudicative bodies with the task of supervising, reviewing, and ultimately contributing to inducing and enforcing compliance with their own judgments.

The Judicial Reports/Recueils judiciaires of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) comprise (in English and French) all Judgments by both Trial Chambers and the Appeals Chamber as well as their most significant Decisions and Orders issued in a given year. The publication is aimed at giving lawyers, scholars, students and the general public convenient access to the historic work of the ICTY, which was established pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 827 in 1993 to try individuals accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. The Judicial Reports are organized chronologically by case. Within each case, one will find the selected materials, including separate and/or dissenting opinions that may accompany a given Trial Chamber or Appeals Chamber ruling. The Judicial Reports will contribute to a greater knowledge of the judicial activities of the ICTY. Various annexes, such as various tables of cases and a table of references will facilitate the use of these volumes.

The Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations forms part of the Hague Academy of International Law, and operates under the authority of its managing board and within the framework of its teaching. The Centre was established to further in-depth research in the area of international law. The topic for 2000 was Economic Sanctions in International Law. The contents of this volume include: - Bilan de recherches de la section de langue francaise du Centre d'etude et de recherche de l'Academie, par L.-A. Silianos, professeur a l'Universite d'Athenes. - The Present State of Research carried out by the English speaking Section of the Centre for Studies and Research, by Mrs. L. Picchio Forlati, Professor of the University of Venice. - Annex. List of Participants and Subjects Treated. - The Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations of The Hague Academy of International Law.