As human behaviour is influenced by law, so law is influenced by human behaviour whenever the latter serves to bring about changes in existing legal situations. Law may be substituted for freedom of action; a regime of freedom may be restored where law prevailed; one set of rules may be succeeded by another set of rules. What are the kinds of human behaviour capable of so changing legal situations, and thereby entitled to the name “sources of law”? Here, an obvious distinction presents itself between material behaviour, and acts of communication with regard to future behaviour. A further classification would segregate mere acts of acceptance or rejection from positive behaviour contributing substance to the law. Let us illustrate these distinctions by examples from international relations.

Text of a speech, delivered on 16 February 1978 at a meeting of the Volkenrechtelijk Dispuut “Cedant Arma Togae” of the University of Utrecht.

A decision of the Dutch Supreme Court delivered on 26th May 1978 continues to provoke a good deal of discussion in the Netherlands and, if reflected in the judicial decisions of other countries, could prove to be of very great significance. The question at issue was who should be liable to pay the often enormous costs of removing shipwrecks from the seabed outside territorial waters. The facts of the Dutch case were as follows.

1. “Space for World Development”, which was chosen by the International Astronautical Federation as the main theme of its Vienna Congress in October 1972, is particularly relevant when referring to space communications. Indeed, a “global strategy of development”, during this second development decade, will largely be based on technological advances in the field of satellite telecommunications. Moreover, increased cooperation among States in this domain will certainly be of great benefit for mutual understanding among people and for world peace. Unfortunately, what one witnesses today is an earthbound picture of national rivalries projected into outer space. To be sure, regional and interregional agreements or even international instruments intended to have a world-wide basis retouch this picture. However, a unified system of communications comprising both the Eastern and Western countries does not so far exist. Such a system, under the authority of the United Nations or one of its specialized agencies, such as the International Telecommunications Union, which a few years ago seemed unlikely unless “some form of world government is acceptable to the great powers”, appears today somewhat more feasible. General principles for space communications have been and are presently elaborated which, if finally adopted, will, to some extent, contribute to a rapprochement of competing systems in space communications.

On 31 May 2002, the EC Regulation on insolvency proceedings entered into force. As from that date, insolvency proceedings that are opened in any of the Member States of the European Union will in principle qualify for recognition in the other Member States, with the exception of the Kingdom of Denmark. On the whole, the Regulation contains the same provisions as the European Convention on Insolvency Proceedings that was ready for signature in 1995, but which never entered into force. Like the 1995 Convention, the present Regulation mainly contains provisions pertaining to the conflict of laws and only a few rules of uniform law. Moreover, the Regulation contains the same plurality of insolvency proceedings as the 1995 Convention: in addition to main insolvency proceedings that are recognised in the other Member States, territorial insolvency proceedings may be opened in the Member States where the debtor has an establishment.

1. Domicile is “… l'une des notions les plus fuyantes et les plus insaississables de nos systemes juridiques”. Are these words of Lagarde applicable to the notion of domicile as a connecting factor in the Netherlands conflict of laws? The present article sets out to cast some light upon this question. After a survey of the manifestations of domicile, usually referred to in Netherlands private international law as woonplaats or domicilie, as a connecting factor, attention will be paid to the hypothetical usefulness in private international law of the Netherlands Civil Code provisions devoted to woonplaats. Subsequently Netherlands judicial decisions will be reviewed in order to find out which elements – if any – are ascribed by Netherlands courts to the concept of domicile. As a result of this investigation a few distinctions into categories of cases will be made, giving rise to the question whether the meaning of domicile in private international law differs according to the legal question(s) it is intended to serve.

So much has been said and written about the events which led up to the involvement of the International Court of Justice in the financial consequences of the United Nations actions in Egypt (1956) and in the Congo (1960) that I shall try to be as brief as possible here.

This is the national report for the Netherlands on the above-named topic for the VIIth International Congress on Procedural Law, Würzburg September 1983. General reporters for this subject are Prof. Dr. Mauro Cappelletti (European University Institute, Florence) and Prof. Dr. Bryant Garth (Indiana University, Bloomington). In their introductory note to the national reporters they focus their attention on “how the legal system is or is not adapting to the problem of the representation of diffuse interests and more generally (on) the problem of the vindication of these rights”.

Il est difficile d'être complètement satisfait des résultats de la onzième session de la Commission du Droit International. La cause en doit être imputée notamment aux circonstances spéciales qui rendaient impossible la discussion des points à l'ordre du jour selon le plan établi par la Commission l'année passée. En effet, la Commission s'était proposée d'en terminer avec le projet sur les relations et immunités consulaires en première lecture. Elle aurait attaché du prix à pouvoir soumettre justement ce projet à l'Assemblée générale dans un délai relativement court car il avait apparu qu'il y avait une tendance à joindre la discussion sur le projet déjà soumis relatif aux immunités diplomatiques à celui relatif au droit consulaire. Ainsi, retarder la remise du projet sur le droit consulaire pourrait avoir comme conséquence de remettre également la mise-sur-pied d'une convention sur les immunités diplomatiques. La Commission n'a pu suivre ce plan parce que le rapporteur de ce sujet, le professeur žourek (Tchécoslovaquie) était absent pendant toute la première moitié de la session. Le Gouvernement de Bulgarie l'avait désigné juge ad hoc dans l'affaire de l'incident aérien entre Israël et la Bulgarie portée devant la Cour internationale de Justice à La Haye et les délibérations en cette affaire s'étaient prolongées au delà de toute attente. La Commission se trouvait donc obligée de remettre la discussion de ce sujet jusqu'à la venue de M. Žourek, et le temps qui restait était insuffisant pour en terminer la première lecture. Vu cette situation, la Commission a commencé ses travaux par l'étude du rapport de Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice (Grande-Bretagne), qui avait été élu président de la Commission, et les interrompit au moment de là venue de M. Žourek pour aborder le sujet du droit consulaire.

Aux termes de l'article premier de la Convention sur la haute mer conclue à Genève le 29 avril 1958, «on entend par «haute mer» toutes les parties de la mer n'appartenant pas à la mer territoriale ou aux eaux intérieures d'un Etat ».

Ce qui frappe à la lecture de cet article, c'est le caractère négatif de la définition qu'elle contient: la haute mer y est décrite comme ce qui reste de « la mer », déduction faite de « la mer territoriale » et des « eaux intérieures ».

During the last few years, constitutional democracy has again become a hotly debated issue among constitutional scholars, political scientists and philosophers in Europe and the United States. Several scholars have written profound comments on the ideals of constitutionalism and democracy, and their place in contemporary political systems. While many proclaim the enduring validity of constitutional democracy, others make a plea for a radical redefinition of the concept.