Category: International Law & Treaties
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The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides the legal framework for creating, interpreting, amending, and ending treaties, forming the foundation of modern treaty law.
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Article 42(7) TEU and the EU’s Defence Future
Thematic Working Group Briefs – 2026 Article 42(7) TEU and the EU’s Defence Future More than fifteen years after the Lisbon reforms entered into force, Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), frequently termed the mutual defence clause, has remained as one of the least addressed policy instruments within the Union’s security framework.…
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Investment Arbitration’s New Architecture
Investment Arbitration’s New Architecture How UNCITRAL and ICSID reforms are reshaping investor–State dispute settlement The reform of investor–State dispute settlement (ISDS) is in a structural phase. Since 2017, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III has been mandated to identify systemic concerns and develop reform options, including the possible establishment…
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From Sovereignty to Sustainability
From Sovereignty to Sustainability: Natural Resources and Investment Protection in International Economic Law Natural resources represent a cornerstone of international economic relations. This relevance relies, on the one hand, on the fact that states depend on them as drivers of development and strategic autonomy; on the other one, on foreign investors that need such resources…
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Strategic non-nuclear weapons and the NPT
Strategic non-nuclear weapons and the NPT: Revisiting the binary distinction of Article IX(3) The emergence of strategic non-nuclear weapons (SNNW) has blurred the line between conventional and nuclear warfare, necessitating a re-evaluation of how states are classified in global arms control regimes. The binary distinction in Article IX(3) of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of…
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Legal Coalitions in a Multipolar World
Legal Coalitions in a Multipolar World How the EU can defend, repair and extend rules in a contested global order by Maximilian Schlenker By early 2026, the European Union had begun to speak in a new tone. Ursula von der Leyen told EU ambassadors that Europe needed to revisit its doctrine, institutions and decision-making processes…
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Outer Space Treaty: An Old But Visionary Document
EPIS Basics: Outer Space Treaty: An Old But Visionary DocumentWords: 480 Introduction: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), drafted during the Cold War, remains the backbone of international space law. It is the first treaty of “general applicability” governing human activity beyond Earth. Although today’s space environment is far more crowded, with actors such as…
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“The Arbitral Shield in the Moon Rush”
The Arbitral Shield in the Moon Rush: Resolving “Safety Zone” and Expropriation Disputes under the Artemis Accords Ioana Marin – RG Arctic & Space EPIS Think Tank Research Paper Series 10th June 2026 Abstract As the commercialisation of outer space accelerates, the lunar economy has transitioned from theoretical planning to operational reality. With 67 nations…
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Solving Mixity by Sidelining Consent
Question: Has the EU solved ‘mixity’ at the cost of democracy? Argument: The ‘split-and-apply’ doctrine, refined after Wallonia’s 2016 near-veto of CETA and now deployed on EU-Mercosur, lawfully detaches exclusive-competence trade from national ratification — yet removes the forum that once channelled national opposition into the decision. Conclusion: Dissent has not vanished but migrated into…
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Reform without inclusion?
– Main question: can BiH strengthen rule of law and fundamental rights while preserving a constitutionally exclusionary system? – Main argument: the post-Dayton framework institutionalised ethnopolitical division, while veto mechanisms and sectarian incentives obstruct reform. – Conclusion: democratic transformation depends on gradually expanding more inclusive and civic-based political participation within existing institutional structures.