CYIL vol. 13 (2022)

PREFACE

Dear Readers, I have great pleasure to introduce the thirteenth issue of the Czech Yearbook of Public & Private International Law (CYIL). Volume 13 appears, as usual, at the end of autumn, which is the typical time for the readers of this Yearbook who are interested in the developments in international law. We did our best to meet this expectation even in 2022, which is the year affected by the war in Ukraine and the following energy crisis and the rising inflation. The Czech Yearbook was established by the Czech Society of International Law in 2010. It was done thanks to the Board and the members of this association of Czech international lawyers, both academics and practitioners, who felt a lacuna of such a specialized journal or yearbook. Since 2014, the Czech Yearbook has been published by the international publishers, RW&W, Science & New Media, Passau-Berlin-Praha, which, in cooperation with Süd Ost Service, ensures its distribution in Germany and Western Europe. As you know, the CSIL publishes the Yearbook in both printed and electronic versions (www.cyil.eu). Since 2015, the Czech Yearbook has been included in the Czech index of scholarly peer-reviewed journals (RVVI) and in the SCOPUS international database. This growth of the Czech Yearbook ranks it among the larger publications of its kind in an international comparison. However, in spite of the significant rise of publishing costs, we are proud to announce that this publication is still available for free for members of the Czech Society of International Law (included in the membership fee) and on sale for a very reasonable price. The Czech Yearbook, in spite of its difficult beginnings, has succeeded in attracting a sufficient number of authors and readers in the Czech Republic and abroad. It has found its place among other similar publications on international law. As usual, Volume 13 (2022) presents a variety of studies and articles covering many issues of contemporary international and European law. The Yearbook begins with the studies related to various aspects of conflicts and use of force, including new and hybrid threats. The first part also includes studies on the attitude of China toward international law and legal problems of celestial body mining. The readers will also find many other traditional sections here, including human rights law. This section includes, in addition to the study on unaccompanied refugee children, four articles focused on various important but not yet much covered aspects of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. A section of international criminal law presents, inter alia , articles focused on salient issues, such as the possibility to prosecute the head of State, or command responsibility for international crimes committed by private military and security companies. As in the previous years, the CYIL also presents special sections on international nuclear law and on problems of the interference with minor’s physical integrity in health law. According to its tradition, Volume 13 of the CYIL also covers some aspects of international economic law, such as integrating climate change elements into international investment treaties.

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