Diplomatic & Consular Law & Practice (2235.YR.002591.1)

General information

Type:	OPT	Curs:	5	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	5 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 5	Jorge Sellarés Serra	Derecho	ENG

Public International Law

Basic notions of Public International Law and the European Community Law institutions, as well as other courses such as Civil, Administrative and Criminal Law. Students are expected to be able to read texts in English and French and possibly other languages as well

Workload distribution:


- Classroom sessions: 50% of total credits (class participation, lecture classes)
- Guided activities: 30% of credits (film forum, visits to consulates, class participation).
- Independent study: 20% of the credits (completion of a report)

The course seeks to establish the necessary foundation for students to acquire a solid training in the area of Public International Law and especially in the field of dipolmatic and consular relations as well as those related to international organisations. It thus aims to provide students with an international perspective on the transnational reality of law, within which different legal systems coincide, overlap and superimpose themselves to the extent they may enter into conflict with one another, and also the ways of redressing these complex situations in the contemporary world.

The Diplomatic and Consular Law and Practice course aims to provide students a theoretical and practical view of the reality formal international relations faces across multiple facets: diplomatic relations between sovereign states, consular relations, ¿ad hoc¿ democracy, relations with other subjects of International Law and agents and civil servants of international organisations.

Thus, students are expected to:

-Acquire a view and legal understanding of reality, discriminating relevant events in terms of their legal transcendence.
-Work with different legal sources to find the most appropriate means of addressing and providing solutions for the given system.
-Argue and discuss the legal viability of different alternatives.

1. Contents 1. Contemporary dipolmacy Notion of diplomacy. Historical development of diplomatic and consular relations: their codification. New forms of diplomacy. Classification of entities for international relations. 2. Central state entities Head of State and Head of the Government. The Minister of Foreign Affairs. Other entities The State's international activity ; the case of Spain. 3. Diplomatic relations I The right to legation. Establishment of a diplomatic mission. The diplomatic agent and other diplomatic mission personnel. Termination of the diplomatic functions. 4. Diplomatic relations II Functions of the diplomatic mission. Limits to diplomatic action. Diplomatic privileges and immunity: foundation and entitlement. Individual and organic prerogatives. Special reference to the diplomatic bag. 5. Diplomatic asylum Concept and difference of related subjects. Substantive and procedural regulations. 6. Consular relations Establishment of a consular mission. Consular functions. Consular office staff. Consular privileges and immunity. Termination of consular functions. 7. Ad hoc diplomacy Notion and types of ad hoc diplomacy. Special missions: characteristics and functions. The special mission's privileges and immunities. 8. Multilateral diplomacy Notion and types. International organisations' right to passive legation: Member state and non-member state representation in international organisations. International organisations' right to active legation. 9. International agents and civil servants Concept and classification. Legal relation of the civil servant and international administration: legal status of international civil servants. International civil servants' privileges, immunities and facilities. 10. Prevention and repression of crimes against individuals and places that enjoy international status.

The opening sessions will consist of lecture classes. With this theoretical background, the course will move on to analyse practical case studies; each student will be assigned a group of case studies to give a presentation on in class (individually and as part of a group), as well as demonstrate their understanding of the course content through written assignments on a series of brief case studies. Visits to consular offices are considered an essential complementary activity to gain experience of diplomatic and consular relationships. The final film forum session is another activity in which the students should apply that studied to analyse and, if required, detect errors in the selected film or television excerpts. Lastly, students' final reports seek to place them in a context that is as similar as possible to reality and for which they have to analyse the facts they are provided, discussing the issues in an original manner, while employing the knowledge acquired and supplementing it with sound and rigorous arguments based on the law currently in force.

Short bibliography:


DEPARTAMENTO DE DERECHO Y ECONOMÍA INTERNACIONALES: Textos
básicos de Derecho internacional público, 5th ed., Signo, Barcelona, 2000.

NÚÑEZ HERNÁNDEZ, J.: Normativa y actualidad del Servicio exterior del Estado,
CIDOB edicions, Barcelona, 1997.

NÚÑEZ HERNÁNDEZ, J.: La Función consular en el Derecho español, 2nd edición,
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Madrid, 2004

PAZ AGÜERAS, J.M.: La Administración General del Estado en el exterior, Ministerio
de Asuntos Exteriores, Madrid, 1999.

PÉREZ DE CUÉLLAR, J.: Manual de Derecho Diplomático, Méjico, 1997.

REMIRO BROTONS, A. (ed.): Derecho Internacional, McGraw-Hill, Madrid, 1997.

SALMON, J.: Manuel de Droit Diplomatique, Bruylant, Bruselas, 1996

VILARIÑO PINTOS, E.: Curso de Derecho Diplomático y Consular (Parte General),
Ed. Tecnos, Madrid, 1992

International treaties

1. Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, April 18, 1961 (published in the official Spanish gazette, BOE,
number 21, 24th January 1968)
a) Protocol on acquisition of nationality
b) Protocol on obligatory jurisdiction for the solution of controversies
2. Vienna Convention on Consular Relations], 24th April 1963 (BOE number 56, 6th March 1970)
a) Protocol on acquisition of nationality
b) Protocol on obligatory jurisdiction for the solution of controversies
3. New York Convention on Special Missions, 16th December 1969, and Protocol on obligatory jurisdiction for the solution of controversies
4. New York Convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against internationally protected individuals, including diplomatic agents, 14th of December 1973.
5. Vienna Convention on the representation of States in the relations with international organisations of a universal nature, 14th March 1975.
6. New York Convention on the security of United Nations staff and related personnel, 9th December 1994.


Complementary bibliography or material:


ACEVES, W.: "Case concerning the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
(Federal Republic of Germany v. United States)", American Journal of International
Law 93/4, October 1999, pp. 924-928

ACEVES, W.: "The Right to Information on Consular Assistance in the Framework of
the Guarantees of the Due Process of Law", American Journal of International Law,
94/3, July 2000, p. 550-563

ANGELET, N.: "Le droit des relations diplomatiques et consulaires dans la pratique
récente du Conseil de Sécurité", Revue Belge de Droit International, vol. XXXII, 1999-
1, pp. 149-177

BEKKER, P.: "Difference Relating to Immunity from Legal Process of a Special
Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights", American Journal of International
Law 93/4, October 1999, p. 913-923

GONZÁLEZ VEGA, Javier A.: "Nota sobre la STC 18/1997 de 10 de febrero de 1997",
Revista Española de Derecho Internacional . 1998. 1. Vol. L. pp. 207-217.

GONZÁLEZ VEGA, Javier A.: "Nota sobre la STJ del País Vasco de 30 de noviembre
de 1999, auto del Juzgado de lo Social número 30 de Madrid, de 15 de febrero del 2000
y STJ de Madrid de 27 de octubre de 1997", Revista Española de Derecho Internacional
. 2001. 1 y 2. Vol. LIII. pp. 353-363.

JIMÉNEZ GARCÍA, Francisco: "Nota sobre la providencia de la CIJ de 9 de abril de
1998", Revista Española de Derecho Internacional . 1998. 2. Vol. L. pp. 129-134.

PUSTORINO, P.: "Immunità giurisdizionale delle Organizazioni Internazionali e tutela
dei diritti fondamentali. Le sentenze della Corte Europea nei casi "Waite et Kennedy" e
"Beer e Regan"", Rivista di Diritto Internazionale, vol. LXXXIII, 2000, fasc. 1, pp. 132-
150

ROBERT, E.: "La protection consulaire des nationaux en péril" Les ordonnances en
indication de mésures conservatoires rendues para la Cour International de Justice dans
les affaires Breard (Paraguay v. États Unis) et Lagrand (Allemagne v. États Unis),
Revue Belge de Droit International, vol. XXI, 1998-2, pp. 413-449
VVAA: "Agora: Breard", American Journal of International Law, vol. 92, October
1998-4, pp. 666-712


Links of interest

International organisations
http://www.wto.org/wto/vacancies/vcont.html
http://www.itu.int/employment/
http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/
http://www.oas.org/EN/PINFO/HR/job.htm
http://www.nato.int/structur/recruit/index.htm
http://www.oecd.org/hrm/
http://www.ecb.int/
http://www.eib.org/new.htm
http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/about/interne.html
http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/about/recrut.html
http://www.un.org/icty/offers.html
http://www.icjcij.org/icjwww/igeneralinformation/igeninfvacancies/toc_employment_opportunities.htm
http://www.wipo.org/spa/main.htm
http://www.wipo.int/eng/newindex/vacancy.htm
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/160pers/others/intern.htm
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/160pers/index.htm
http://www.who.int/per/vacancies/
http://www.who.int/employment/interns/index.html
http://www.icao.int/cgi/goto.pl?icao/en/site_search.htm
http://www.imf.org/external/np/adm/rec/recruit.htm
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/HRS/hrs_www.nsf
http://www.coe.fr/jobs/
http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg09/career/en/cover.htm
http://www.ebrd.org/english/recruit
http://www.ebrd.org/new/jobads/vac>
http://www.fao.org/VA/Employ.htm
http://f40.iaea.org/worldatom/vacancies
http://www.un.or.at/Vacancy_Announcements/index.html
http://www.wfp.org/vacancies/index.html
http://www.unifem.undp.org/news.htm
http://www.undp.org/toppages/undpjobs/undframe.htm
http://www.unaids.org/highband/jobs/index.html
http://www.ifc.org/main/html/jobs1.html
http://www.un.org/Depts/icsc/vab/index.htm
http://www.oau-oua.org/oau_info/vacancies.htm

Ministries of Foreign Affairs
http://www.diplomatie.fr
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/
http://www.esteri.it/
http://www.min-nestrangeiros.pt/min-nestrangeiros/mne/
http://www.vatican.va/
http://www.mid.ru/
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
http://www.mae.es
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/
http://www.mofa.go.jp/
http://www.mrecic.gov.ar/
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/menu.asp
http://www.mre.gov.br/
http://www.sre.gob.mx/
http://www.state.gov/
http://www.minrel.cl/
http://www.mrree.gub.uy/mrree/cuadro2.htm
http://www.dfat.gov.au/

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 5	Jorge Sellarés Serra	Derecho