In 2007 the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) held two meetings and examined a number of questions of public international law.

The CAHDI, in it capacity as the European Observatory of Reservations to International Treaties, continued to examine outstanding reservations to international treaties concluded within and outside the Council of Europe, and to coordinate the reactions of member states thereto. The CAHDI has listed the objections to the aforesaid outstanding reservations and also took note of a list of possibly problematic reservations to international treaties applicable to the fight against terrorism.

The Committee continued its consideration of state practice concerning state immunities and followed closely the pace of signatures and ratifications of the UN convention on jurisdictional immunities of states and their property.

Furthermore, the CAHDI also took note of cases before the European Court of Human Rights involving issues of public international law and followed closely the status of ratification of Protocol 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

The CAHDI continued to develop its databases on:

• State practice regarding State Immunities
• Implementation of UN sanctions and respect for human rights, and
• the Organisation and functions of the Office of the Legal Adviser (OLA) in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It also discussed the role of the OLA in national implementation of international law and the situation in member and observer state.

It also published on its website a list of digests of State practice on international law based on State's contributions.

The CAHDI also adopted comments on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1788 (2007) – The United States of America and International law and on Parliamentary Recommendation 1803 (2007) – Prosecution of offences falling within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

In 2007, the CAHDI focused on the following areas:

• Peaceful settlement of disputes: Compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and model clauses for accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ;
• Overlapping jurisdiction of international tribunals;
• Lists of arbitrators and conciliators nominated by states
• Current issues of international humanitarian law;
• Latest developments concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC);
• Implementation and functioning of the Tribunals established by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 827(1993) and 955(1994);
• Outcome document of the 2005 UN World Summit.

In 2007, the CAHDI held exchanges of views with Mr Couvreur, Registrar of the ICJ, Mr Tjaco van den Hout, Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Professor Koskenniemi (Finland) and Professor Pellet (France), both members of the International Law Commission.