The Pilot Project on State Practice regarding State Succession and Issues of Recognition carried out under the aegis of the Ad Hoc Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) encompasses the practice of sixteen member States of the Council of Europe and provides significant information about these States' position vis-à-vis the new European architecture following the developments of 1989. On the basis of the information gathered, the CAHDI decided on the preparation of a report by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, the T.M.C. Asser Institute and the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights. With this report The Council of Europe wishes to contribute in a practical manner to the celebration of the United Nations Decade of International Law (1989-1999) and to facilitate the understanding of how States can help to build a stable and peaceful international community by paving the way for the pregressive development of international law in this area. Le Projet Pilote du Conseil de l'Europe concernant la pratique des Etats relative à la succession d'Etats et les questions de reconnaissance, mis en oeuvre sous l'égide du Comité ad hoc des conseillers juridiques sur le droit international public (CAHDI) renferme la pratique de seize Etats membres du Conseil de l'Europe et apporte des informations importantes sur la position de ces Etats vis-à-vis de la nouvelle architecture européenne qui a suivi les développements de 1989. Sur la base de l'information rassemblée, le CAHDI a décidé la préparation d'un rapport par l'Institut Max Planck de Droit public comparé et de Droit international, l'Institut R.M.C. Asser et l'Institut Erik Castrén de droit international et des droits de l'homme. Avec ce rapport le Conseil de l'Europe souhaite contribuer d'une manière pratique à la célébration de la Décennie des Nations Unies sur le droit international (1989-1999), et faciliter la compréhension des moyens dont disposent les Etats pour aider à construire une communauté internationale de stabilité et de paix, en préparant le chemin pour un développement progressif du droit international dans ce domaine.

The Pilot Project of the Council of Europe on State Practice regarding State Succession and Issues of Recognition carried out under the aegis of the Ad Hoc Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) encompasses the practice of sixteen member States of the Council of Europe and provides significant information about these States' position vis-à-vis the new European architecture following the developments of 1989. On the basis of the information gathered, the CAHDI decided on the preparation of a report by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, the T.M.C. Asser Institute and the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights. With this report the Council of Europe wishes to contribute in a practical manner to the celebration of the United Nations Decade of International Law (1989-1999) and to facilitate the understanding of how States can help to build a stable and peaceful international community by paving the way for the progressive development of international law in this area. Le Projet pilote du Conseil de l'Europe concernant la pratique des Etats relative à la succession d'Etats et les questions de reconnaissance, mis en oeuvre sous l'égide du Comité ad hoc des conseillers juridiques sur le droit international public (CAHDI) renferme la pratique de seize Etats membres du Conseil de l'Europe et apporte des informations importantes sur la position de ces Etats vis-à-vis de la nouvelle architecture européenne qui a suivi les développements de 1989. Sur la base de l'information rassemblée, le CAHDI a décidé la préparation d'un rapport par l'Institut Max Planck de Droit public comparé et de Droit international, l'Institut T.M.C. Asser et l'Institut Erik Castrén de droit international et des droits de l'homme. Avec ce rapport le Conseil de l'Europe souhaite contribuer d'une manière pratique à la célébration de la Décennie des Nations Unies sur le droit international (1989-1999), et faciliter la compréhension des moyens dont disposent les Etats pour aider à construire une communauté internationale de stabilité et de paix, en préparant le chemin pour un développement progressif du droit international dans ce domaine.

Treaty-making constitutes the very basis of the international legal order and influences international relations. It channels the expression by States of consent to be bound and defines the commitments they enter into. However, the national procedures by which States express their consent to be bound vary considerably, depending on constitutional, legal, and political conditions which reflect the history of each country. The report, drawn up under the aegis of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) of the Council of Europe, encompasses the practice of thirty-nine member States of this Organisation and a number of observer States. It provides comprehensive and up-to-date information about these States' means of expressing consent to be bound by a treaty. Furthermore, the analysis commissioned by the CAHDI from the British Institute of International and Comparative Law casts fresh light on this matter by inferring interesting considerations from the diversity of national procedures. With this report, the Council of Europe wishes to pursue its practical contribution to the development of international law, facilitating the mutual understanding of its member States and, thus, helping to build a stable and peaceful international community. La conclusion des traités constitue la base même de l'ordre juridique international et exerce une influence sur les relations internationales. Elle véhicule l'expression du consentement des Etats à être liés et définit les engagements qu'ils souscrivent. Cependant, les procédures nationales par lesquelles les Etats expriment leur consentement à être liés varient considérablement en fonction de facteurs constitutionnels, juridiques et politiques qui reflètent l'histoire même de chaque pays. Le présent rapport élaboré sous l'égide du Comité des Conseillers Juridiques sur le droit international public (CAHDI) du Conseil de l'Europe, expose la pratique de trente-neuf Etats membres de cette Organisation ainsi que d'un certain nombre d'Etats observateurs. Il fournit des informations complètes et à jour sur les moyens par lesquels ces Etats expriment leur consentement à être liés par un traité. En outre, l'analyse confiée par le CAHDI à l'Institut britannique de droit international et de droit comparé apporte un éclairage nouveau à ce domaine en tirant des enseignements intéressants de la diversité des procédures nationales. Par ce rapport, le Conseil de l'Europe souhaite poursuivre sa contribution pratique au développement du droit international, en facilitant la compréhension mutuelle de ses Etats membres et en contribuant ainsi à la construction d'une communauté internationale stable et pacifique.

Ongoing work of the International Law Commission on State succession with respect to State responsibility begs the question: how does this new matter fit into the broader concept of State succession? This book presents a detailed analysis of the complete codified field of State succession, with new observations and the relevant elements of State responsibility. Dr. Grega Pajnkihar provides insight into how these two areas of international law are interlinked and why State responsibility should not be treated differently from other matters of succession.

The International Law Commission, when drafting articles on nationality of persons in situations of State succession, omitted cases of unlawful territorial changes. These do not result in State succession; they may be dealt with under the rubric of State continuity. The Baltic – Russian cases show the particularly complex nature of these situations, both as concerns agreement on continuity and decisions on nationality. The author examines in detail the Citizenship Laws of the Baltic States and Russia, as well as relevant constitutional and international statements about the international legal status of the States and responses of the international community thereto. The main question addressed in the book is about solutions which States have to adopt concerning nationality of individuals in situations of State continuity, especially where States re-emerge after long years of occupation. Although the book is specific in its origin, it is of general importance because it draws conclusions concerning developments in law and practice which are relevant for a better understanding and regulation of nationality and statehood in international law.

Sovereignty in the Exercise of the Right to Self-Determination detangles the relationship between a number of principles of international law and the exercise of sovereign power. Jane Hofbauer’s assessment is conducted through an analysis of the different tiers of self-determination, ranging from the right to exercise external self-determination, the right to exercise forms of autonomy as a form of de facto independence, and the right to a type of ‘spatial’ independence, exemplified through the principles of permanent sovereignty over natural resources (PSNR), and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). The book not only highlights the (intentional) uncertainties within each of these principles, but identifies the (non-discretionary) limits to their normative evolution. It thereby explores to what extent (indigenous) peoples can be designated as sovereign entities.

The bibliography lists the literature and State practice on the question of recognition in international law for the last two hundred years. It contains books and articles, ie. contributions to journals and other collected works such as Festschriften and Encyclopaedias, as well as (published and unpublished) theses, pamphlets, compilations of diplomatic documents and case notes. As many of the monographs on recognition in international law will not be available in all libraries, book reviews have been included in the bibliography in order to enable the user to decide whether it may be advisable to order a certain work by inter-library loan. Its 4,500 entries are arranged systematically according to subject categories in fourteen main sections. Each main section is further subdivided with ever-increasing specificity into sub-sections on codification, codification attempts, general studies, studies of certain recognition questions and studies of specific recognition cases. The bibliography employs a broad meaning of recognition. It is not restricted to the question of status of an authority or entity in international law but encompasses also the question of relations with it. As many of the recognition cases must be considered, and can only be understood, against their historic, political and sometimes even economic background, the bibliography includes not only purely legal treaties but also publications of a primarily historical, political or economic content which incidentally deal with aspects of recognition in international law. This is reflected by the titles of the 730 journals from more than 50 countries in 20 different languages which have been used to compile the bibliography. The bibliography contains both an author and a comprehensive subject index to enable users to locate works of a particular writer or a specific problem.