CYIL 2015

387

THE CZECHǧAUSTRIAN DECLARATION ON JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES …

THE CZECH-AUSTRIAN DECLARATION

ON JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES

OF STATE-OWNED CULTURAL PROPERTY

Petr Válek

Abstract:

The objective of this article is to present to the international legal

community the Czech-Austrian Declaration on Jurisdictional Immunities of State-

Owned Cultural Property, in particular to explain why it was prepared and what its

content is. In the introductory part, the author further aims to set this Declaration

into the wider context that is the historic development of the concept of State

immunity and the applicable international legal framework (including the relevant

jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice). Finally, the author attempts

to evaluate – from the point of international legal practice – the usefulness of the

Declaration.

Resumé:

Cílem tohoto článku je představit mezinárodněprávní komunitě česko-

-rakouskou Deklaraci o jurisdikčních imunitách kulturního majetku státu, zejména

vysvětlit, proč vznikla a co je jejím obsahem. V úvodní části se autor dále snaží

zasadit tuto deklaraci do širšího kontextu, kterým je zde historický vývoj institutu

imunity státu a příslušný mezinárodněprávní rámec (včetně relevantní judikatury

Mezinárodního soudního dvora). Nakonec se autor pokouší z hlediska mezináro-

dněprávní praxe zhodnotit užitečnost této deklarace.

Key Words:

State Immunity,

acta iure imperii, acta iure gestionis

, Convention on

Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property, Declaration on Jurisdictional

Immunities of State-Owned Cultural Property, International Law Commission, UN

General Assembly, International Court of Justice, Case of Jurisdictional Immunities

of the State (Germany

Italy: Greece intervening)

On the Author:

Mr. Petr Válek is the Director of the International Law Department

of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Prior to his current position,

he was posted as Legal Adviser at the Czech Permanent Mission to the UN, worked

as the Legal Officer at the International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, in the UN Mission in Kosovo and in the Coalition Provisional Authority

in Baghdad. He also served in the Czech Army. Mr. Válek studied at the Charles

University Law School in Prague, where he received both his Master’s degree and

Ph.D., at the J. W. Goethe University Law School in Frankfurt am Main and at

the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, where he gained an LL.M.

degree.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily correspond with the

official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and do not bind this institution in

any way.