International Law and International Relations Section

Current Issues of International Environmental Law – through the Lens of Public International Law and Private International Law

Following the retreat of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the attention of international law has focused on the issue of environmental rights or environmental protection. The impact of various factors affecting the environment cannot be confined to the territory of a single sovereign state, thus triggering changes or the need for reflection within the international law system. The subject at hand, whether in the field of human rights or other specific areas of international law, such as the protection of natural areas of international importance, rivers, the high seas, etc., represents a very dynamic category in the creation, enforceability, and application of regulatory, liability, and enforcement norms of international law, following the response of some of the world's leading actors in the European Union, China, and the United States of America. We cannot ignore the considerable impact of armed conflicts on the overall burden on the environment, which, in view of the above-mentioned transformations, constitutes a problem that transcends the boundaries of ongoing conflicts and is becoming a global problem that requires an international legal reflection. At the same time, the legal settlement of claims for environmental damage in cases, where several legal systems are simultaneously applicable, namely the question of international jurisdiction and determination of applicable law, also deserves a special attention. Analysis of selected provisions of the relevant legislation and an assessment of the application practice of national courts will make it possible to evaluate the current legislation and make de lege ferenda proposals.

Guarantors of the section:

prof. JUDr. Ján Svák, DrSc.

doc. JUDr. Katarína Burdová, PhD.