European Law & International Law (e-books)

E-book

Ján Klučka - Ľuboslav Sisák - Laura Gazdagová (eds.)

This publication captures the conference proceedings of the international scientific conference "20 years in the European Union in terms of law and the era of sustainability". The conference took place on 3^rd September 2024 at the Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, in hybrid form.

The first part of the conference proceedings includes contributions concerning EU law in proceedings before the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic with focus to current issues and challenges after 20 years of membership of the Slovak Republic in the EU, European law from the perspective of international constitutionalism in a green coat, the impact of the entry of the Baltic states into the European Union on the question of the nationality of natural persons, the single digital market in the context of the Slovak Republic, the impact of European Union law in the field of personal data protection on the territory of the Slovak Republic, the principle of environmental protection in economic competition and international jurisdiction for private law claims for compensation for damage caused to the environment.

The second part of the conference proceedings includes contributions concerning the process of enshrining human right to environment in international law and European law, the development of biodiversity protection in the EU, NATO´s role in climate change response to meet the sustainability and suing tort damages from the Dieselgate emissions scandal.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Lucia Bakošová - Ľudmila Elbert - Ľubica Gregová Širicová 

Disasters, whether natural or industrial, have a serious impact on the functioning of society and are a negative phenomenon which, with the increasing impact of climate change, is increasingly affecting the sustainable development and prosperity of States. Their increasing regularity and intensity affect the current evolution not only of social life, but also of legal debates on the necessity of responding to international and national disaster response, eliminating their negative consequences and protecting affected persons. No State is immune to the occurrence of disasters, and this also applies to the Slovak Republic, which is mostly affected by sudden natural disasters, namely floods, landslides, droughts, fires, windstorms and snow calamities.

The subject of this publication is the proposal of the methodological guidelines regulating the activities of NGOs in case of disaster, as well as cooperation with the state affected by the disaster, and the glossary of legal terms which need to be clear and unified in case of disaster. Slovak and English version of the proposal is basic precondition of its usability not only for the state organs of the Slovak republic and Slovak NGOs, but also for foreign NGOs.The Proposal of the methodological guidelines is the result of the research project VVGS-PCOV 2018-459: Návrh metodického postupu mimovládnych organizácií v prípade katastrofy v podmienkach Slovenskej republiky (The Proposal of the methodological guidelines for the non-governmental organisations in case of disaster in conditions of the Slovak republic).

Download the e-book for free  (pdf)

Valéria Miháliková (ed.)

Download the e-book for free  (pdf)

E-book

Lucia Bakošová (ed.)

Proceedings from the XII Student Symposium on International and European Law held on March 29, 2019, in Košice

The primary goal of films or TV series is typically not to educate their audience. However, contemporary cinematography includes a significant number of works that present issues related to international and European law to both professional and general audiences.

For this reason, the Institute of International and European Law at the Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice organized the XII Student Symposium on International and European Law titled "International and European Law in Cinematography," under the auspices of Professor JUDr. Ján Klučka, CSc.

The main objective of the symposium was to popularize international and European law among students through films or series. The films analyzed during the symposium could be divided into two categories: those dramatizing real events and those creating fictional scenarios incorporating aspects of international or European law. Most contributions focused on films depicting real events, such as the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s, the Nuremberg Trials, the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, or the legal dispute between the heir of the painting Woman in Gold and Austria. On the other hand, works like the series MASH* were also discussed; while not based on real events, it uses its narrative to portray the lives of medical personnel in a military field hospital during the Korean War.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Ľudmila Elbert - Ľubica Gregová Širicová (eds.)

In addition to acquiring theoretical knowledge, it is necessary to study and analyze the decisions of international judicial and arbitration bodies in order to fully understand the subject of the Public International Law or disciplines closely related to it.

Since the Slovak literature in the field of Public International Law does not contain any electronic textbook of selected decisions of international judicial and arbitration bodies, the authors of the submitted publication aim to eliminate this gap by elaborating the “Public International Law Casebook”, which will primarily be intended for undergraduate students of the law faculties in the Slovak republic and the Czech republic.

The proposed publication seeks to make the study of international law more attractive through a publication that will make students familiar with the decisions translated into the Slovak language in a popular electronic form.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Ľudmila Pošiváková - Adam Giertl

The presented selection of public international law documents aims to map international law from both historical and sectoral perspectives. The reader will find several historical documents in this collection, but the focus is primarily on currently valid legal sources.

The selection is guided by the publication Public International Law – General and Special Part by Prof. Ján Klučko, which is reflected in the division into general and special parts. The general part addresses the historical development of international law but primarily focuses on the protection of individuals and responsibility relationships in international law. The special part then examines the international regulation of various institutions of international law.

We acknowledge that this selection offers room for expansion, but we believe it meets basic requirements and fills a certain gap in the study of international law.

We trust that this collection of public international law materials will be beneficial for students, and not only for them, in the study of public international law and will contribute to raising awareness in this field.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Ľudmila Pošiváková -  Zuzana Antošová - Milan Kočan (eds.)

Proceedings from the Student Debate held on April 24, 2013, at the Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

In the current period, the rule of law is widely debated both at the academic and political levels. This debate is not only related to the effort to establish the Rule of Law in states that have transitioned from socialist to democratic systems but also in states experiencing various unrests, whether political or religious.

However, it is not just a debate about certain characteristics of the Rule of Law that are missing in domestic law or at the level of international law, but also a debate about the very definition and meaning of the Rule of Law. The rule of law can be likened to an ideal that almost every state strives to achieve. Even in the case of the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic, the framers decided to include among the introductory provisions, which should form the core of the constitution, that the Slovak Republic is a state governed by the rule of law.

However, to achieve the ideal of the rule of law, it is necessary not only to declare it but also to adopt measures essential for an independent judiciary, democracy, the effective enforcement of human rights, the separation of powers, and many other elements that characterize a state governed by the rule of law.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Adam Giertl - Ľubica Gregová Širicová (eds.)

Proceedings from the 5th Student Symposium held on April 21-22, 2013

The French delegate to the Commission on Human Rights, while discussing the inclusion of the term "media" in the article on freedom of expression in the draft of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, wisely urged other members of the commission to be forward-looking regarding the information media of the future.

The discussion took place in 1950, when delegates could not yet foresee the impact of the internet on social relations. Given that it is now clear that information technologies significantly influence law, including international law, the organizers of the student symposium decided to dedicate its sixth edition to the theme "Information Society and International Law."

Students of the Faculty of Law, after registering for the symposium, first focused on preparing their contributions, with each participant having access to a consultant if needed. This year, the list of consultants, in addition to members of the Institute of European Law and the Department of International Law, was expanded to include an expert in intellectual property law, Mgr. Martin Husovec, a graduate of our Faculty of Law and currently an IMPRS-CI doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law. We also take this opportunity to thank him for dedicating his time to the students and providing them with valuable advice in preparing their contributions. After the preparatory phase, the symposium itself took place, with the aim of presenting the prepared contributions and discussing them.

The presented contributions reflected a wide range of intersections between international law and the information society.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Adam Giertl (ed.)

Proceedings of Scientific Works

International law does not represent a monolithic entity of uniform legal norms. It is a legal system that is fundamentally created by the consensus of states. It reflects the collective will of multiple entities regarding what should be binding and enforceable as law among them.

From this understanding arises the fact that the needs for legal regulation will differ in various parts of the world. The consequence of this situation is the formation of regional groupings where, to some extent, specific legal rules apply. As Professor Klučka points out in his study published in this proceedings, regionalization can occur both on a contractual basis and on an institutional basis. Regionalism in law thus raises many interesting questions that legal science addresses.

This proceedings of scientific papers also aims to contribute to the knowledge in this field.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Alexander Bröstl - Marta Breichová Lapčáková - Martin Štrkolec (eds.)

Collection of scientific papers by doctoral students.

Thematically, the contributions are diverse: they feature fundamental principles in public law (basic principles of criminal proceedings, the principle of contradiction, basic principles of constitutional court proceedings, basic principles in private law and procedural law (superficies solo cedit), the principle of civil court proceedings in deciding labor disputes, equality of participants and the duty to instruct, objection of bias in light of the right to an impartial court, the principle of speed and the principle of economy in the decision-making activities of general courts, basic principles in legal theory and international law (general legal principles recognized by civilized nations), coexistence of the principle of equality and the principle of non-discrimination in the legal order of the European Union, argumentation through the principle of rule of law in the decision-making activities of courts, the impact of fundamental principles on the interpretation of legal norms.

It is important that the authors, i.e., doctoral students from law faculties in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, almost unanimously examine these principles in the process of application (interpretation) of law, from the perspective of how legal (primarily judicial) practice deals with them. This should be fundamentally welcomed and appreciated.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Adam Giertl (ed.)

Proceedings from the VII. annual student symposium on international law held on April 11-12, 2014 at the UPJŠ training facility in Danišovce

Despite this, flying and space travel are now a common part of human civilization. What is the role of law in this process? This is the question posed by the organizers of the VII. annual student symposium on international law, aiming to evaluate the contribution of international law in the field of aviation and space flights, especially in light of current developments.

The individual topics were tackled by second, third, and higher-year students of the Faculty of Law at UPJŠ in Košice. The result of their work on the assigned topics, which the authors could consult with members of the Institute of European Law and the Department of International Law, is the presented work.

The proceedings are thematically divided into two parts. The first part acquaints the reader with selected topics related to aviation law, and the second part is dedicated to international space law.

With its focus, the proceedings also have a broader impact, as in some aspects it fits into the broader context of research conducted at the Institute of European Law and the Department of International Law, which focuses on examining the influence of regionalism on general international law and vice versa. This issue is also reflected in the topics of the individual contributions.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)

E-book

Ján Klučka(ed.)

Collection of Papers from the International Scientific Conference Held on May 29–30, 2014 at the Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

In the first half of this year, a scientific conference entitled “10 Years in the EU: Relations, Questions, Issues” was held in Košice, and the contributions from this event constitute the content of the present collection bearing the same name.

The aim of the organizers—namely, the Slovak Association of European Law, the Representation of the European Commission in the Slovak Republic, and the Institute of European Law together with the Department of International Law of the Faculty of Law at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University—was not only (even if loosely) to follow up on the previous 2009 conference “Community Law in Slovakia – Five Years ‘After’”, but, after another five years, to continue its main objective: to provide participants from both the academic and non-academic community with a space for further analysis and exchange of views on legal issues related to the membership of the Slovak Republic in the European Union and various current issues of the Union’s legal order.

From this perspective, a shift in the overall focus of the conference contributions in 2009 and 2014 can be observed. While the contributions from the first conference focused primarily on various aspects of the application of Union law in the Slovak legal system and related application problems, especially before courts and other authorities, the basic orientation of the contributions from the second conference is already different. The present collection also confirms that the contributions focus primarily on current issues of the European legal order and on certain aspects of the Union’s external policy, while the relationship of Union law to the Slovak legal system is no longer given primary attention.

Several contributions focus on areas characterized by a certain overlap or “cohabitation” of Union law with public international law, private international law, or, more broadly, international relations.

Download the e-book for free (pdf)