Class notes of LIO
Announcement
The first lecture will take place on Tuesday 23 September 2025, 14-16 h, in AV 00.17
and we look forward to welcoming you all to class. You can find the course schedule
under ‘Course Documents’ on Toledo. Do check the course schedule regularly as it
might be subject to small changes.
Course materials
The study materials for the course will be available through the ‘VRG Cursusdienst’ and
they include:
A sourcebook containing the legal instruments and cases that are most relevant
for the course;
A reader containing all the mandatory reading materials that will be used during
the lectures;
The handbook J. Wouters, C. Ryngaert, T. Ruys and G. De Baere, International
Law: a European Perspective, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2019 (available at a
discounted price for students through Acco).
nog niet beschikbaar bij VRG
Note that the sourcebook and the reader will also be made available through Toledo
‘Course Documents’, in pdf version. However, you are recommended to acquire the
printed versions as soon as possible through VRG in preparation for the open-book
exam.
Also remember to regularly check this Toledo page as specific materials will be made
available before and after each lecture, including the powerpoint presentations that will
be used.
Online availability for students that cannot attend on campus
Please note that the lectures in our course will not be recorded. We are thus unable to
provide any recordings on Toledo and strongly encourage you to attend all lectures on
campus.
We count on your cooperation and we look forward to your active participation.
Exam
Written open-book exam: you can bring anything you want, even the slides and your
notes.
,Class n°1 – 23/09/2025
INTRODUCTION – HISTORY – DEFINITION – TYPES
1.Introduction
Opmerking: ik was afwezig deze les en kreeg notities van Thaleia. Hieronder
staat de inhoud van de slides, aangevuld met haar beperkte notities.
The invasion of international organisations
- Between 500 and 700
- Enormous diversity
o Bilateral, trilateral, multilateral, global
o Intergovernmental – supranational
o Fields of activity: highly specialized – very broad
- Ever stronger impact on domestic legal systems, on policy-making and on
individuals: eg.
o UN security Council counterterrorism resolutions
o Technical standardization from radio waves to GDPR
o From labour standards to cybersecurity
Still, today we are witnessing a deep crisis of multilateralism
- La vieilesse: outmoded composition/representation, decision-making
processes, bureaucracy, politicization, contestation
o The UN becomes 80 years old but is in one of the deepest crises of
its history... ; will it survive Trump 2.0?
- Revendications of emerging powers
o eg. China in IMF (Intl Monetary Fund)/World Bank ; creation of
alternative institutions like AIIB and BRICS Development Bank
- Unpredictability of major powers
o Trump has withdrawn the US from WHO, UNHRC, UNESCO, Paris
Agreement, dismantled USAID (voluntary contributions), sanctioned
the ICC, ...
2.History
International organisations = a relatively recent
phenomenon
- The “concert system”: Congress of Vienna (1815), Concert of Europe ><
ad hoc nature, non membership (“on invitation”), unanimity
- Permanent associations/unions
o Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, European Comm
on the Danube
o Intl Union of Railway Freight Transportation
o Intl Telegraph Union
o ... (and so on)
, Interesting experiments with majority voting, regulatory powers,
representation of non-State interests (dependent territories,
businesses, ...), budget
20th century
- The Leage of Nations and International Labour Organisation (ILO) as
pioneer international organisations
o Covenant of the Leage of Nations / Constitution of the ILO, both
adopted 28 June 1919 (sourcebook)
- Leage of Nations
o Originally 45 MSs, max 60, 54
o 3 main organs:
Assembly: plenary meeting, each member got 1 vote
Council: permanent members (US=>Germany/USSR, Britain,
France, Italy, Japan) + 4 (later 6, 9, 11) elected members
Secretariat: Secretary-General and staff
o Unanimity requirement, except for matters of procedure
o Collective security mechanism defective
o Creation of Permanent Court of Intl Justice (PCIJ)
o Negotiation forum (120 treaties)
o Saarlan, Free City of Danzig, mandate system, protection of
minorities
- International Labour Organisation
o Originally 45 MSs, today 187
o Fundamental principles and aims clarified in the Philadelphia
Declaration of 1944
o Became the first UN specialized agency in 1946
o Unique tripartite character
o 3 main organs:
International Labour Conference: drafting intl conventions and
recommendations
Governing Body: executive; makes policy decisions, ILO
programmes, prepares budget
International Labour Office: secretariat
o Declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work, 1998
o ILO Centenary Declaration for the future of work adopted by the
Conference at its 108th session, in 2019
o
, Class n°2 – 25/09/2025
Opmerking: ik was afwezig deze les en kreeg notities van Thaleia. Hieronder
staat de inhoud van de slides, aangevuld met haar beperkte notities.
3.Definition
Many different definitions exist for IO’s. These are the
common elements:
a) Association of subjects of international law
- Meant to last (whether unlimited or limited)
- Most of the time States
- Sometimes States and IO’s
o Eg. WTO, FAO, EBRD
- Increasingly also partnerships with the private sector (to establish
connections; extra funding but may become victims of corporate nature)
b) Established by treaty / instrument governed by international law
- Bilateral – trilateral – multilateral treaty
- Not all IO’s derive from a treaty: “or other instrument governed by law”
o Eg. OSCE (based largely on a political agreement), OPEC (found as a
cartel for oil producing countries), Interpol
- Decisive: intentional act
c) Pursuit of common objectives
- Although it might be dynamic in terms of changes in objectives/aims: eg.
NATO was founded on the basis of the Washington Treaty which actually
established the North Atlantic Alliance and the North Atlantic Council, but
later on, through the practice of the organisation, a new organ was
established (NATO)
d) One or more organs
- Representatives of 2 or more MSs, not dependent on 1 single MS
- Autonomous will? Yes, the organs have a will of their own (that you can
distinguish from their members)
- Gradual processes: eg. GATT => WTO
Applying the theory examples / case studies
- ICRC: established as a non-profit – private law entity not an IO
- ICC (Intl Chamber of Commerce): protects commercial interests of its
members and establishes soms concepts (eg. INCOTERMS) not an IO,
not founded as a treaty and also established as a non-profit association
Announcement
The first lecture will take place on Tuesday 23 September 2025, 14-16 h, in AV 00.17
and we look forward to welcoming you all to class. You can find the course schedule
under ‘Course Documents’ on Toledo. Do check the course schedule regularly as it
might be subject to small changes.
Course materials
The study materials for the course will be available through the ‘VRG Cursusdienst’ and
they include:
A sourcebook containing the legal instruments and cases that are most relevant
for the course;
A reader containing all the mandatory reading materials that will be used during
the lectures;
The handbook J. Wouters, C. Ryngaert, T. Ruys and G. De Baere, International
Law: a European Perspective, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2019 (available at a
discounted price for students through Acco).
nog niet beschikbaar bij VRG
Note that the sourcebook and the reader will also be made available through Toledo
‘Course Documents’, in pdf version. However, you are recommended to acquire the
printed versions as soon as possible through VRG in preparation for the open-book
exam.
Also remember to regularly check this Toledo page as specific materials will be made
available before and after each lecture, including the powerpoint presentations that will
be used.
Online availability for students that cannot attend on campus
Please note that the lectures in our course will not be recorded. We are thus unable to
provide any recordings on Toledo and strongly encourage you to attend all lectures on
campus.
We count on your cooperation and we look forward to your active participation.
Exam
Written open-book exam: you can bring anything you want, even the slides and your
notes.
,Class n°1 – 23/09/2025
INTRODUCTION – HISTORY – DEFINITION – TYPES
1.Introduction
Opmerking: ik was afwezig deze les en kreeg notities van Thaleia. Hieronder
staat de inhoud van de slides, aangevuld met haar beperkte notities.
The invasion of international organisations
- Between 500 and 700
- Enormous diversity
o Bilateral, trilateral, multilateral, global
o Intergovernmental – supranational
o Fields of activity: highly specialized – very broad
- Ever stronger impact on domestic legal systems, on policy-making and on
individuals: eg.
o UN security Council counterterrorism resolutions
o Technical standardization from radio waves to GDPR
o From labour standards to cybersecurity
Still, today we are witnessing a deep crisis of multilateralism
- La vieilesse: outmoded composition/representation, decision-making
processes, bureaucracy, politicization, contestation
o The UN becomes 80 years old but is in one of the deepest crises of
its history... ; will it survive Trump 2.0?
- Revendications of emerging powers
o eg. China in IMF (Intl Monetary Fund)/World Bank ; creation of
alternative institutions like AIIB and BRICS Development Bank
- Unpredictability of major powers
o Trump has withdrawn the US from WHO, UNHRC, UNESCO, Paris
Agreement, dismantled USAID (voluntary contributions), sanctioned
the ICC, ...
2.History
International organisations = a relatively recent
phenomenon
- The “concert system”: Congress of Vienna (1815), Concert of Europe ><
ad hoc nature, non membership (“on invitation”), unanimity
- Permanent associations/unions
o Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, European Comm
on the Danube
o Intl Union of Railway Freight Transportation
o Intl Telegraph Union
o ... (and so on)
, Interesting experiments with majority voting, regulatory powers,
representation of non-State interests (dependent territories,
businesses, ...), budget
20th century
- The Leage of Nations and International Labour Organisation (ILO) as
pioneer international organisations
o Covenant of the Leage of Nations / Constitution of the ILO, both
adopted 28 June 1919 (sourcebook)
- Leage of Nations
o Originally 45 MSs, max 60, 54
o 3 main organs:
Assembly: plenary meeting, each member got 1 vote
Council: permanent members (US=>Germany/USSR, Britain,
France, Italy, Japan) + 4 (later 6, 9, 11) elected members
Secretariat: Secretary-General and staff
o Unanimity requirement, except for matters of procedure
o Collective security mechanism defective
o Creation of Permanent Court of Intl Justice (PCIJ)
o Negotiation forum (120 treaties)
o Saarlan, Free City of Danzig, mandate system, protection of
minorities
- International Labour Organisation
o Originally 45 MSs, today 187
o Fundamental principles and aims clarified in the Philadelphia
Declaration of 1944
o Became the first UN specialized agency in 1946
o Unique tripartite character
o 3 main organs:
International Labour Conference: drafting intl conventions and
recommendations
Governing Body: executive; makes policy decisions, ILO
programmes, prepares budget
International Labour Office: secretariat
o Declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work, 1998
o ILO Centenary Declaration for the future of work adopted by the
Conference at its 108th session, in 2019
o
, Class n°2 – 25/09/2025
Opmerking: ik was afwezig deze les en kreeg notities van Thaleia. Hieronder
staat de inhoud van de slides, aangevuld met haar beperkte notities.
3.Definition
Many different definitions exist for IO’s. These are the
common elements:
a) Association of subjects of international law
- Meant to last (whether unlimited or limited)
- Most of the time States
- Sometimes States and IO’s
o Eg. WTO, FAO, EBRD
- Increasingly also partnerships with the private sector (to establish
connections; extra funding but may become victims of corporate nature)
b) Established by treaty / instrument governed by international law
- Bilateral – trilateral – multilateral treaty
- Not all IO’s derive from a treaty: “or other instrument governed by law”
o Eg. OSCE (based largely on a political agreement), OPEC (found as a
cartel for oil producing countries), Interpol
- Decisive: intentional act
c) Pursuit of common objectives
- Although it might be dynamic in terms of changes in objectives/aims: eg.
NATO was founded on the basis of the Washington Treaty which actually
established the North Atlantic Alliance and the North Atlantic Council, but
later on, through the practice of the organisation, a new organ was
established (NATO)
d) One or more organs
- Representatives of 2 or more MSs, not dependent on 1 single MS
- Autonomous will? Yes, the organs have a will of their own (that you can
distinguish from their members)
- Gradual processes: eg. GATT => WTO
Applying the theory examples / case studies
- ICRC: established as a non-profit – private law entity not an IO
- ICC (Intl Chamber of Commerce): protects commercial interests of its
members and establishes soms concepts (eg. INCOTERMS) not an IO,
not founded as a treaty and also established as a non-profit association
