European Law & International Law (e-books)

E-book

Dominika Becková (ed.)

This Liber Amicorum presents a collection of contributions in Honour of Professor Ján Klučka. This Liber Amicorum was written by his colleagues from universities, collaborators from the judiciary, former colleagues from the Constitutional Court of the Slovak republic and the Court of Justice of the European Union, current colleagues from the Faculty of Law and his former PhD. students. Their contributions elaborate the knowledge their gained from the work they conducted together with Professor Ján Klučka and are interspersed with references to memories associated with Professor Ján Klučka.

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Valéria Ružičková (ed.)

Proceedings of the XIVth Student Symposium on International Law and European Law.

For the XIV Year of Student Symposium on International Law and European Law under the topic „Artificial Intelligence from the Perspective of Law“, students of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Science prepared several papers regarding current questions related to the ongoing development of the artificial intelligence. From the legal point of view, the papers regard the importance of the artificial intelligence in human activities in space, its impact on fundamental rights, development of new human rights in relation to its application in healthcare and nursing care as well as personal data protection while making use of the artificial intelligence.

Apart from the papers concerning the artificial intelligence from the legal perspective, two of the papers regard the artificial intelligence from the scientific perspective, explaining the importance of the artificial intelligence in localization in indoor environment as well as its importance in prediction of healthcare costs.

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Dominika Becková - Radoslav Benko - Valéria Ružičková

Studies of the European Union law may hardly be possible without making use of its sources. Lots of types of legal rules, several forms of judicial decisions as well as a wide spectrum of criteria used while searching among legal acts of the European Union and case-law of its courts in search engines on the official websites of the European Union may, however, appear confusing, thereby making the work with sources of the European Union law more complicated and prolonging it.

Methodology Guide „How to Work Correctly with the Sources of the European Union Law“ aims to help students to understand the system of sources of the European Union law as well as the sources themselves, offer them tips and advice useful during their search and thus contribute to the adoption of fundamental procedures for working with them.

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Ján Klučka et al.

The aim of the current monograph is to provide comprehensive view of the status of regional judicial organs in current conditions of regionalism. Based on selected issues examined in individual chapters research team presents the comprehensive study focused on clarification of the status and significance of regional judicial organs in terms of new regionalism.

Research of the role of regional courts in the system of peaceful settlement of disputes demonstrates the significant role of the regional courts within the promotion of the rule of law, regional integration and also significant role of regional courts to ensure legal certainty within the system of compliance with decisions of regional courts. The result of examination of possibilities of individuals to access to regional judicial organs is comparative evaluation of regional possibilities of individual to defend his/her rights within regional courts of various regions. Particular part of this area is the right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial as basic rights within the proceedings of regional judicial organs. Within the examination of preliminary rulings of international regional courts of different regions the role of regional judicial organs in the process of effective implementation of the principle of the rule of law was the subject of examination.

For the proper functioning of the regional judicial organs as well as independence of judges and legal certainty in International law, the ethical rules of international judicial organs and tribunals, which are the subject of the last chapter, are significant.

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Adrián Popovič a kol.

The possibility of solving the grant project VVGS-2016-284 has provided a unique opportunity for members of the author´s team in the interdisciplinary composition to examine the issue not only from a tax-law point of view, but also from a political point of view. In the presented monograph, the authors focused on the characterization of different aspects of the EU in order to allow the reader correctly understand its position in relation to the outside world and to its inward relations within its Member States in the context of the creation and implementation of the EU tax policy.

Particular attention is paid to the definition of the relationship between national tax legislation and EU law, the impact of the EU's tax policy on the national laws of its Member States, with reference to the identification of the harmonized areas with the approximation of their current stage of development and the final objective. This definition can be seen as a prerequisite for a correct and comprehensive understanding of the application and implementation of EU institutions' initiatives to prevent tax evasion and tax fraud and their implementation into the national legal order of the Slovak Republic. In the last part of the monograph, the authors focused on defining individual EU initiatives to combat tax evasion and tax fraud as a means of implementing its tax policy, in the area of ​​indirect taxation, in particular in the field of value added tax and in the field of direct taxation, especially with regard to corporate taxation, and to evaluate their projection into the national tax legislation of the Slovak Republic. At the same time, in these chapters, they assessed the real impact and effect of the measures admitted on the basis of the initiatives in practice.

The presented work is intended for a university student studying in the field of Tax Law and European Law, as well as the broader legal and economic community. However, in view of the scope and recency of the subject under consideration, the authors believe that the publication will find its application not only in the theoretical field but also in the practical field.

 JUDr. Adrián Popovič

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Linda Babušík Adamčíková - Gabriel Koscelanský - Mária Petriková (eds.)

Proceedings of the VI. Annual International Scientific Conference of Students and Young Researchers organized on May 11–12, 2017 by the Department of Political Science of the Faculty of Arts at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the Department of Political Sciences and Public Administration at Uzhhorod National University, the Research Institute of Central Europe, and the Res publica Association.

Presented publication is an outcome from the international scientific conference for students and young scientists that took place on 11th and 12th May 2017 at the Department of Political science, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. The main aim of the presented is to bring up outcomes of research of young scientists and students from Slovakia, as well as from abroad.

This conference proceedings contains 19 papers in Slovak, Czech and English language. Papers are dealing with current issues of theory and practice of politics and international relations. We can find paper analyzing globalization, international terrorism, topic of EU or development of European states. The conference proceedings contents also papers regarding the far-right parties, role of women in  politics and integration migrants in Slovak republic.

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Dominika Becková - Adam Giertl (eds.)

Collection of Papers of PhD. students and young researchers

Institute of International Law and European Law offered a place to PhD. students and young researchers to publish scientific outputs of their research. Submited collection of scientific contributions is the result of that initiative. Papers deal with the implementation of international law and law of the EU into the domestic legal system.

Thematically is the collection of contributions divided into several parts, that are dedicated to contributions dealing with the issues of legal theory and international and european law.

Contributions are addressing issues of human rights protection, they aim to the roles of international and supranational judiciary, environment, criminal and public law. Collection of contributions includes also chosen problems of private law and it also dedicates space for contributions focused on foreign investments.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Ján Klučka a kol.

The presented monograph, “Regionalism and Its Contribution to General International Law,” was prepared at the Institute of European Law and the Department of International Law of the Faculty of Law at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice as part of a project of the same name (APVV-0823-11) carried out in the years 2011–2015, and represents one of its final publication outputs.

The main reason for choosing this topic was the effort to evaluate regionalism in its various forms in relation to international law, and, conversely, to assess the place, significance, and role of international law in the creation and functioning of different forms of regional groupings. In fact, although regionalism is receiving increasing attention in doctrine, a more comprehensive assessment of its impact on international law and vice versa has so far been lacking.

This monograph attempts to partially fill this gap. Against the background of a brief historical development of regionalism, as well as its substantive and terminological components, the monograph examines in greater detail the individual types of regionalism—such as old and new regionalism, as well as contractual and institutional regionalism—their specific features, and their contribution to general international law.

Attention is also devoted to a specific phenomenon of contemporary regionalism, namely the influence of the European Union on its stabilization and development, both through practical measures and through a set of measures regulated by international treaties.

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Ján Klučka - Ľudmila Elbert

The present monograph "Regionalism and its Contribution to General International Law" was written at the Institute of European Law and Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, as a part of the project (APVV-O823-11) carried out in 2011-2015, representing one of its final publication utputs. 

The main reason for choosing the topic was to evaluate regionalism in its various relationships and forms with respect to international law, and also to evaluate the place,importance and duties of international law in respect to the establishment and functioning of various forms of regionalgroups.

It is a fact that even though a lot of attention has been paid to regionalism, a more complex evaluation of the impact it has had on international law, and vice versa, is still lacking. The efforts of the present monograph are to partially eliminate this gap.

After giving a brief insight into how regionalism has developed, its content and terminology, the monograph studies in more details individual types of regionalism in the form of old and new regionalism, as well as treaty and institutional regionalism; its specifications and contributions to the international law.

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Adam Giertl - Ľudmila Elbert

Collection of Papers from the 8th Student Symposium held on April 20–21, 2015 in Danišovce

The capture of the historic Syrian city of Palmyra by fighters of the radical Islamic State caused shock among the global public. The main reason is the barbarism with which this organization proceeds, not only in relation to the treasures of the world’s cultural heritage. The situation in the Middle East, where cultural treasures of inestimable value are under direct threat, demonstrates how fragile the world’s cultural heritage is. The reaction of the international public and world leaders shows how sensitively the destruction of cultural heritage is perceived.

The quoted statement chosen by the editors relates to the threat posed by the Islamic State—however, the spirit of this statement can be applied to any cultural wealth that forms part of the world’s cultural heritage. The destruction or damage of these values primarily represents a loss for humanity as such. Each destroyed artifact of world cultural heritage signifies the disappearance of a unique legacy left by previous generations for the future. At the same time, cultural heritage must be understood as a broad spectrum of assets—both tangible and intangible. Their legal protection was the topic of this year’s symposium. As with any social interest, the protection of cultural heritage can be ensured through various mechanisms and under different forms of social organization.

These diverse approaches are unified by law as a normative system. The question for the 8th year of the symposium on international law was what role international law plays in the protection of cultural heritage. In the context of the European region, the role of the European Union as a regional organization was examined.

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Ľudmila Elbert

The presented scientific monograph addresses the issue of the Rule of Law and its place, roles, and particularities at the level of international law. The Rule of Law is understood as a value that should govern communities, both domestic and international. It is thus compared to Kelsen’s basic norm, which should stand at the top of the legal order as the norm justifying the validity and existence of the norms of the legal order, both domestic and international.

Although the Rule of Law is studied at the international law level, it cannot be considered without understanding the Rule of Law in domestic law. Just as its development differs depending on whether it evolved within Anglo-American or continental law, its application and development also differ between domestic law and international law.

These differences are mainly caused by the roles and objectives that international Rule of Law is meant to secure, as well as by the distinct characteristics of domestic and international law.

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Adam Giertl (ed.)

Collection of Papers from the 9th Annual Student Symposium on International and European Law held on April 22, 2016 at the Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

As indicated by the very title of the 9th Annual Student Symposium on International and European Law, “Current Issues of Migration from the Perspective of International Law with Special Regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,” the participants focused on the highly topical subject of European migration, which they examined from various aspects of both international and Union law (a total of 9 contributions).

In assessing the role of individual actors primarily involved in addressing the problems arising from migration to Europe, particular emphasis was placed on the role of international specialized organizations, which often provide direct assistance to migrants “in the field” through humanitarian or medical aid. However, this is not the only response of the international community, as it is complemented by the activities of the concerned states as well as various non-governmental organizations and volunteers. Regarding the evaluation of the European Union’s activities, the symposium participants agreed that the mass migration wave caught the EU relatively unprepared—institutionally, legislatively, and technically—accompanied by a lack of clarity in adopting a fundamental approach to this reality.

It was also emphasized that these shortcomings occurred despite the fact that developments in the preceding period clearly signaled the possibility of gradual migration to the European Union escalating into a mass phenomenon. According to the participants, additional ex post and sometimes delayed measures adopted in response to the ongoing migration process contributed to an overall increase in political tension within the EU and divided its member states into opposing camps.

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Alena Krunková (ed.)

Proceedings of the Scientific Conference Held on June 28, 2016 at the Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice in connection with the implementation of the project “The European Union and Its Impact on the Organization and Functioning of Public Administration in the Slovak Republic” – approved under number MVZP – SK PRES/2016/134

The Slovak Republic, as a member state of the European Union, is undertaking a historic role associated with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union within the presidency trio. At the beginning of 2016, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic announced a call for applications for grants for 2016 in the field of international relations and foreign policy, specifically focused on the Slovak Republic’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Faculty of Law of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice responded to this call and obtained a project aimed at carrying out research activities through a series of events focused on regional self-government in the Slovak Republic in the context of its role within the European Union. The Faculty has long been engaged with issues of European Union law both in its teaching and in the scientific research activities of its individual faculty members. The project aims to enrich this portfolio with special activities targeting not only professionals, but also students and the general public.

The first activity of the project was a conference entitled “The European Union and Its Impact on the Organization and Functioning of Public Administration in the Slovak Republic – Development So Far, Current State, and Perspectives.” The conference was attended by invited public officials, representatives of academia, and representatives of local government, as one of the main goals of the project is to connect the academic community with the practical sphere and thus involve practitioners in the planned activities within the project.

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