Public international law seminars

1st seminar: Concept and characteristics of international law, sources of international law

Main questions:
International law as a special legal system. Specific method of regulation. Subjects of
international legal relations. The process of creating and implementing international legal norms
and methods of ensuring them. International law sanctions.
International public law and international private law. Separation and interaction. Conflicting
norms.
Development of international legal norms. The theory of coordination of the will of states.
Sources of international law. International agreements. International customs. Interactions
between international agreements and international customs. General principles of law. Case-law
and the doctrine as sources of international law. Documents of international organizations.
Unilateral acts.
Codification of international law and progressive development. The role of the UN and other
international organizations. UN International Law Commission.
Modern international law and its system. Norms and principles. The main principles of
international law as the core of the system. Imperative and dispositive norms. Branches and
institutes of international law.
The relationship between international public law and European Union law.
Concepts of jus (ius) cogens norms and erga omnes obligations.

Recommended sources:
1. Shaw, Malcolm Nathan. International Law. 8th ed. Cambridge, New York (N.Y.),
Cambridge University Press, 2019.
2. International Court of Justice: February 2 nd, 1969, North Sea Continental Shelf (Federal
Republic of Germany/Netherlands).
3. International Court of Justice: June 27th, 1986, Nicaragua v. United States of America.
4. Court of Justice of the European Union: February 5 th, 1963, NV Algemene Transport- en
Expeditie Onderneming van Gend & Loos prieš Nederlandse administratie der
belastingen.
5. Court of Justice of the European Union: July 15th, 1964, Flaminio Costa v. E.N.E.L.
6. European Court of Human Rights: March 23rd, 2010, Cudak v. Lithuania.
7. Vienna Convention on the Law of International Treaties,
https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/1_1_1969.pdf.
8. The Constitution of your own country and (or) The Constitution of the Republic of
Lithuania,
https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/079fcad0cf8711ecb69ea7b9ba9d787b (see
articles 10, 13, 67, 84, 94, 105, chapter 13).
9. The law on international agreements of your own country and (or) Law on Treaties of the
Republic of Lithuania, https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.197068.
10. The law on international sanctions of your own country and (or) Republic of Lithuania
Law on International Sanctions,
https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/142deda5f54b11edb649a2a873fdbdfd.