• Council of Europe
• Legal Advice and Public International Law

In a political climate which encourages interdependence between states, international law is constantly developing, and is increasingly becoming a key factor in the organisation of inter-state relations. The Council of Europe is accordingly working to co-ordinate its member States’ activities in this field, through the work of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI).

The CAHDI is the only truly pan-European forum where legal advisers of the Ministers for foreign affairs of the member States of the Council of Europe and a significant number of observer States and Organisations can exchange and possibly co-ordinate their views regarding major issues of public international law.

The CAHDI meets twice a year to exchange ideas and discuss issues arising in this field, either at the request of the Committee of Ministers, steering and ad hoc committees, or on its own initiative. Its aims are to:

• develop the role of public international law and bring national viewpoints closer together;
• share experience and practice through exchanges of views on topical issues;
• create a framework for international co-operation, and so strengthen the role and influence the development of public international law by bringing legal advisers together to pool their experience;
• monitor the work done by other international bodies in its areas of competence, and help member States to adopt common standpoints.

Issues examined include for instance:

• state succession and questions of recognition;
• classification of documents concerning state practice in the field of public international law;
• the role of depositaries of international treaties;
• debts of diplomatic missions;
• State immunity;
• developments regarding the international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court.

The recent work of the CAHDI on reservations to international treaties is of particular significance. The CAHDI has achieved agreement between member States on the question of inadmissible reservations and as a result, the Committee of Ministers adopted Recommendation No. R (99) 13 on responses to inadmissible reservations to international treaties. In this connection, the CAHDI also functions as a European Observatory of reservations to international treaties and periodically monitors outstanding reservations to international treaties.

The CAHDI also liaises with the International Law Commission of the United Nations and the Council of the European Union’s Working Party on Public International Law (COJUR).