CYIL Vol. 5, 2014

For the second time the CYIL also presents a section on EU law. An important number of articles deals with international human rights law, in particular from the perspective of the European system. Some contributions concern various issues of international criminal law and criminal justice, as well as international humanitarian law, including private military contractors, paramilitaries and mercenaries in the Ukrainian conflict. In accord with its tradition, the CYIL Volume 5 also covers certain aspects of international economic law (investment law) and private international law, such as decisions on State immunity by Czech courts. Moreover, the publication presents, as usual, topical information on the work of the UN International Law Commission in 2014, the list of treaties ratified by the Czech Republic, short notes, book reviews and a survey of Czech international law bibliography. Also as usual, the authors of this publication come both from Czech and foreign institutions, from academia and legal practice. More so than in previous years this volume includes contributions of foreign professors and researchers, coming from or teaching in Belgium, Luxemburg, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the USA. As to the Czech institutions involved, these include Charles University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, Palacky University in Olomouc, West-Bohemian University in Plzeň, the Institute of Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the University of Economics in Prague, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Institute of International Relations, as well as some private law firms. Keeping the Yearbook as open as possible, we try to establish and maintain the Prague-based platform for dialogue of scholars and practitioners of international law. This publication appears thanks to the financial subsidy to the Czech Society of International Law from the Council of Scientific Societies of the Czech Republic. We are also grateful for generous financial support from the Prague branch of the law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges. We wish that this volume of the Czech Yearbook also find many readers, and we are looking forward to new authors and new contributions for the next volume.

Prof. Pavel Šturma Editor-in-Chief