European Journal of International Law

European Journal of International Law
Title	European Journal of International Law
Abbreviation	EJIL
Discipline	International law
Language	English
Publisher	Oxford University Press
History	1990–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0938-5428

Contents

European Journal of International Law is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical focusing on public international law, comparative international relations, and related issues in human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. Founded in 1990 by a group of academics associated with Academia Europaea, the journal has become prominent in debates involving the European Court of Human Rights, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and regional bodies such as the European Union and the Council of Europe. Contributors have included scholars and practitioners connected to institutions like Hague Academy of International Law, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Cambridge University, Oxford University, and the Graduate Institute Geneva.

History

The journal was established in 1990 amid scholarly responses to events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, when issues concerning state succession, recognition of new states like Croatia and Slovenia, and transitional justice in the aftermath of conflicts such as the Yugoslav Wars called for new forums. Founding editors drew on networks including the European Society of International Law, the Hague Academy of International Law, and leading departments at London School of Economics, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and Leiden University. Over time the journal engaged debates spurred by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the expansion of the European Union eastward to include Poland and Hungary, and cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Special issues have examined landmark instruments and events such as the Treaty of Lisbon, the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (1999), the European Convention on Human Rights, and rulings from the International Court of Justice in disputes like Nicaragua v. United States.

The journal publishes scholarship on topics ranging from doctrine developed at the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Justice to practice by states such as United Kingdom, France, Germany, and non-state actors like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It features contributions addressing treaties such as the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the Genocide Convention, and the UN Charter, as well as analyses of jurisprudence from tribunals including the European Court of Human Rights and ad hoc tribunals presided over by figures associated with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Editorial policy emphasizes originality, methodological rigor, and engagement with debates present in forums like the United Nations General Assembly, the International Law Commission, and scholarly meetings of the American Society of International Law and the European Society of International Law. The journal also solicits commentary on developments related to instruments such as the Schengen Agreement and incidents involving actors like Russian Federation and Germany that raise questions of jurisdiction, immunity, and state responsibility under the Law of the Sea and other regimes.

Published quarterly by Oxford University Press, each issue typically contains research articles, review essays, book reviews, and notes commenting on decisions from bodies like the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Formats include long-form articles responding to jurisprudence from the International Criminal Court, shorter notes on national court decisions in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and roundtables convening scholars from Yale University, Harvard University, University of Chicago, and European centers such as Bocconi University. Special thematic issues have focused on topics including the Right to Self-Determination, the legal architecture of the European Union, and enforcement mechanisms associated with the World Trade Organization.

The editorial board has historically comprised academics and practitioners affiliated with institutions like Columbia Law School, New York University School of Law, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Universiteit Leiden, and research centers such as the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review by experts drawn from networks including the International Law Commission, former judges of the International Court of Justice, and professors who have taught at King's College London and Universität Heidelberg. The peer-review process seeks to balance doctrinal analysis with empirical and theoretical approaches represented by scholars linked to the Graduate Institute Geneva and the European University Institute.

The journal is widely cited in academic literature and has influenced debates at venues including the International Court of Justice, national supreme courts such as the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Bundesverfassungsgericht in Germany, and policy bodies like the United Nations Security Council. Its articles have been referenced in cases dealing with state immunity, refugee law involving Greece and Italy, and war crimes prosecutions related to the Rwandan Genocide and the Bosnian War. Reviewers in forums like the American Journal of International Law and institutions like the Hague Conference on Private International Law have noted the journal’s role in shaping doctrinal development concerning the Law of Armed Conflict, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and post-conflict reconstruction guided by institutions such as the World Bank.

Category:International law journals