CYIL 2015

JAN ONDŘEJ

CYIL 6 ȍ2015Ȏ

Introduction Entities which, although they exhibit many feature of states, are not recognized by the majority of states are sometimes described as de facto regimes. 1 Kosovo, 2 for example, was not recognized by Russia, China, India and, within the European Union, by Slovakia, Spain, Greece, Rumania or Cyprus. These states argue that, apart from the illegitimate separation of a part of a sovereign state, recognition of Kosovo would support separatist demands in problem regions 3 of their own which they are worried about. A third kind of state which refuses to recognize de facto regimes as a new state deals with this entity as non-existent and still recognizes the sovereignty of the original state 4 over the separated territory . Among de facto regimes one can includ Taiwan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and so on. 1. Subjects of International Law General international public law does not contain the concept of subject and does not define which persons (entities) can be considered subjects. Only the individual norms of international public law, namely international treaties (agreements) provide an indirect answer to this question. They list subjects of particular rights and duties. It is therefore a matter of investigation in any particular case what rights and duties of international law are granted to a particular person. The concept of subject and its enumeration is therefore defined by the doctrine of international law. Some authors stress that the subject is that person (entity) which has the capacity to set standards. Another concept, and it can be considered as prevailing, arises from the concept of subject as defined by general doctrine of law. This approach is present both in the Czech doctrine of international law as well as by foreign authors. According to Dixon, 5 for example, the subject of international law is a person or entity which is capable of possessing and exercising rights and duties under international law. The s ubject of law , also international law, is any entity to which the given legal framework concedes the capability of rights and duties and generally of legality . As in national law, where various subjects of law are distinguished (individuals, legal persons, the state) and which differ from each other, there are also subjects of 1 SCHEU, H. Ch. Vznik nového státu a jeho uznání v mezinárodním právu. Mezinárodní politika , 2008, č. 4, s. 6. 2 Podrobněji k otázce Kosova in: POTOČNÝ, M., ONDŘEJ, J. Mezinárodní právo veřejné . Zvláštní část, 6. vydání. Praha: C.H. Beck, 2011, s. 24 a násl. 3 LOSKOT, T. Nezávislé Kosovo uznala za rok od vyhlášení jen čtvrtina států. Právo ze 17 února 2009. 4 KOLLÁR, M. Niekoľko úvah k vyhlášeniu nezávislosti a (ne)uznanou Kosova jako nezávislého štátu z pohľadu medzinárodného práva in: Ročenka medzinárodného práva . Bratislava : Slovenská spoločnosť pre medzinárodné právo při SAV, 2008, s.26. 5 DIXON, M. Textbook on International Law . Fourth edition. London: Blackstone Press Limited, 2000, p. 104.

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