CYIL 2015

390

PETR VÁLEK

CYIL 6 ȍ2015Ȏ

The majority of States has accepted the restrictive immunity doctrine, and this

has been reflected in their domestic legislation, e.g., the U.S. Foreign Sovereign

Immunities Act of 1976, the UK State Immunity Act of 1978 and the Czech Act on

Private International Law of 2012.

2. The Applicable International Legal Framework

State immunity is derived from the principle of sovereign equality of States

which is set out in key international legal documents, including the UN Charter.

Furthermore, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning

Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter

of the United Nations – despite some Cold War language – confirms that: “All States

enjoy sovereign equality. They have equal rights and duties and are equal members

of the international community, notwithstanding differences of an economic, social,

political or other nature. In particular, sovereign equality includes the following

elements: States are judicially equal; …Each State has the duty to respect the

personality of other States”.

Despite these general principles contained in the above-stated instruments,

the specific rules of international law governing State immunity are to be found in

the form of customary international law. Attempts to codify these rules have not

been entirely successful so far. First, on the regional level, the European Convention

on State Immunity – drawn up within the Council of Europe by a committee of

governmental experts under the authority of the European Committee on Legal Co-

operation – was opened for signature in Basle on 16 May 1972 (the “European

Convention”). Although it entered into force on 11 June 1976, the European

Convention can hardly be considered a successful codification project, as it currently

No. 91/2012 of the Official Gazette

(Zákon o mezinárodním právu soukromém)

§ 7: Immunity from

Jurisdiction of the Czech Courts

(Vynětí z pravomoci

českých

soudů)

– any

possible

mistakes in

translation are my own:

(1)

The foreign States are exempt from the jurisdiction of the Czech courts in case of proceedings

arising from their conduct and acts made in the exercise of their State, Government and other public

powers and functions, including their property which is used or assigned for such exercise.

(Z pravomoci

českých soudů jsou vyňaty cizí státy, pokud jde o řízení vyplývající z jejich jednání a úkonů učiněných

při výkonu jejich státních, vládních a jiných veřejných pravomocí a funkcí, včetně jejich majetku, který je

k takovému výkonu používán nebo určen.) (2)

The exemption from jurisdiction of the Czech courts does

not apply to other conduct, acts or cases to the extent in which, according to general international law

or a treaty, it is possible to bring actions against a foreign State before the courts of another State.

(Vynětí

z pravomoci českých soudů se nevztahuje na jiná jednání, úkony nebo případy, a to v rozsahu, v němž podle

obecného mezinárodního práva nebo mezinárodní smlouvy lze proti cizímu státu uplatňovat práva u soudů

jiného státu.).

Art. 2 para. 1 of the UN Charter: “The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality

of all its Members.”

The UNGA Resolution No. 2625 (XXV), adopted on 24 October 1970, UN Doc. A/RES/25/2625.