Written by students who passed Immediately available after payment Read online or as PDF Wrong document? Swap it for free 4.6 TrustPilot
logo-home
Document preview thumbnail
Preview 3 out of 19 pages
Exam (elaborations)

Practice Exam Questions + Answers International & EU Law | RR116 | EUR | 2025/26

Document preview thumbnail
Preview 3 out of 19 pages

Cases, Uitwerking tentamenvragen Vragen + antwoorden: Samenvatting van Stuvia: Introduction to International and European Union Law (RR116) at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, containing worked answers to open-ended exam questions. Topics covered include criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, state recognition vs. government recognition, the right to self-determination (internal and external), state succession, and international treaties under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT). These notes are invaluable for exam preparation, offering clear explanations of complex concepts with practical examples and critical analysis of legal criteria.

Content preview

lOMoARcPSD|2567501




Internationaal en EU recht - Uitwerking open vragen


Criteria om een staat te zijn
The 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Right and Duties of States contains the most authoritative
and accepted criteria for statehood. According to the Convention article 1, a state must possess the
following:
1. A permanent population
2. A defined territory
3. A government
4. A capacity to enter into relations with other states


Hoe ontstaat een staat?
It is important to note the dis'nc'on between the recognition of a state and that of a government.
1. The state is the legal entity under international law eOects of lack of recognition are of greater
legal importance
2. The government is the representative of the state, and the government is entitled to act on the
state’s behalf.




Right to self-determination
1. Explaining the right to self-determination – which can be found in Art. 1 of the UN Charter and
common Art. 1 of ICCPR and ICESCR.
The right to self-determination stipulates that all peoples have a right to freely determine their
political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

2. Explaining the distinction between internal and external self-determination.
Normally the right to self-determination is fulfilled by internal self-determination, which means
that people pursue their.
In Reference re Secession of Quebec, the Court made a dis'nc'on between internal and
external self-determination:
1. Internal self-determination: the right of self-determination of people is normally fulfIlled by
this sort, it means autonomy. People pursue their political, economic, social and cultural
development within the framework of an existing state.
2. External self-determination: This right only arises in the most extreme cases. Colonial
people and others who may otherwise Nnd themselves subject to alien subjugation, dominion
or exploitation have a right to external self-determination that may entitle them to create their
own independent state.

- Explaining self-determination in cases of extreme oppression.




messages.downloaded_by

, lOMoARcPSD|2567501




State succession
- State succession concerns ‘the replacement of one state by another in the responsibility for
the international relations of territory’.
- The rules on succession to treaties are complex and largely depend on the subject maSer at
hand. In most cases, the treaties closed by the pre-existing countries do not bind the new
emerging state. However, there are some exceptions to this clean slate approach:
1. The principle of u6 possidetis juris stresses that geographical boundaries created by treaties
remain in force regardless of whether or not the boundaries coincide with ethnic, tribal,
religious or political a Rliations. This is to guarantee predictability and stability.
2. If a state disintegrates and ceases to exist, the clean-slate approach means that the
population of the succeeding territory cases to be protected by human rights conventions until
the emerging state decides to become a party.


Kritiek op criteria
- The conditions are freely formulated, there is much space for interpretation. They do not
provide a clear deNni'on of statehood, because of their formula'on. However, the conditions
are numerously cited by states themselves. For example:
1. Population: there can be twisted whether the Catalonians are a “people”, arguments pro and
con, many perspectives are possible.
2. Condition government: the government doesn’t have to be democratically elected. This
condition doesn’t Nt in the modern, (western) world, for the protection of human rights, this
seems a rather signiFIcant condition. The meaning whether the government is eOec've can
vary: every situation is different: no clear condition.




messages.downloaded_by

, lOMoARcPSD|2567501




Wat is een verdrag?
A treaty is an international agreement governed by international law concluded by two or more
international subjects with treaty-making capacity.
Two treaties:
1. Bilateral: concluded by two states
2. Multilateral: between larger groups of states

It is important to note that not all legally binding agreements entered into by states will be treaties
governed by international law.
- Legally binding, art 34 VCLT
- Pacta sunt servanda, art 26 VCLT
-


Wanneer is een staat gebonden aan een verdrag?
- In order for a state to become legally bound by a treaty, it must consent to it.
- Art. 11 VCLT: fairly flexible in the way of consenting
- Today a definitive signature art. 15 VCLT also by accession, where a state consents to be
bound by a treaty, which it has already signed, in the following circumstances:
1. If the treaty provides for it
2. If it is otherwise established that the nego'a'ng par'es were agreed that it should be
possible
3. If all the parties have subsequently agreed that a state may express its consent by
such means




Voorbehoud - Hoe wordt een voorbehoud gemaakt
- Art 19 VCLT
The effect of reservations differs between bilateral treaties and multilateral treaties. Explain this
difference and the legal effects that may result from making reservations to a multilateral treaty. In
your answer, refer to relevant treaty provisions and / or case law. (7 points)
The doctrine of reservations is most relevant with regards to multilateral treaties. In case of a bilateral
treaty, the putting forward of a reservation by one of the parties can be understood as a proposal to
amend the treaty, leading to re-negotiations. The effects of a reservation on a multilateral treaty vary
depending on the reaction of the other states.

Article 20 VCLT provides for three situations:
1. A state accepts the reservation made by another state. The treaty will enter into force
between the parties without the reserved article or with the provision as amended by the
reservation.
2. If within twelve months a state does not react to a reservation, that state is then considered to
have accepted the proposed reservation. The treaty enters into force between the parties
without the reserved provision or with the provision as amended by the reservation. (article 20
(5));
3. A state can object to a reservation made by another state. In that case, despite the objection
the treaty will enter into force between the parties, but without the reserved provision, unless
the objecting state expresses an intention to the contrary;




messages.downloaded_by

Document information

Study
Uploaded on
May 30, 2026
Number of pages
19
Written in
2024/2025
Type
Exam (elaborations)
Contains
Questions & answers
$9.20

Wrong document? Swap it for free Within 14 days of purchase and before downloading, you can choose a different document. You can simply spend the amount again.
Written by students who passed
Immediately available after payment
Read online or as PDF

Sold
10
Followers
2
Items
10
Last sold
2 months ago



Why students choose Stuvia

Created by fellow students, verified by reviews

Quality you can trust: written by students who passed their tests and reviewed by others who've used these notes.

Didn't get what you expected? Choose another document

No worries! You can instantly pick a different document that better fits what you're looking for.

Pay as you like, start learning right away

No subscription, no commitments. Pay the way you're used to via credit card and download your PDF document instantly.

Student with book image

“Bought, downloaded, and aced it. It really can be that simple.”

Alisha Student

Working on your references?

Create accurate citations in APA, MLA and Harvard with our free citation generator.

Working on your references?

Frequently asked questions