Center for International Law

"To discover something is to see what everyone else sees and to think of what no one else has thought of" - said Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian physician and biochemist. In this spirit, the major objective of the Center for International Law is that our students not only acquire substantive knowledge but also get acquainted with the specific context of international law, which is essential for understanding the way the world works and is therefore of fundamental importance for Hungary. Our goal is to train resourceful, knowledgeable and well-informed lawyers who are just as at home in Geneva, The Hague, Stockholm, New York or Singapore as they are in Budapest or Kolozsvár, and who are able to see and interpret the world from a Hungarian perspective.

The research at the Center for International Law focuses on international legal issues related to the phenomenon of economic globalization, such as investment protection, trade, human rights, protection of the environment and cultural values, which are of particular relevance in Central Europe. At the same time, based on the challenges of the changing world and student initiatives, the Center is open to any topic related to public international law, the law of international economic relations or European law. In addition to the traditional courses and pre-exam study periods, students can also participate in research work and prepare for competitions where they can learn from renowned Hungarian and foreign law professors invited by the Center.

Lénárd Sándor, PhD

Head of School, Head of the Center for International Law

School of Law

Timely Questions in International Law

An exchange of views on topical and relevant questions of international and European law that offer an opportunity to consult on research papers.

The Spirit of International Law

The aim of this course is to discuss the distinctive features and dynamics of public international law, its sources, structure, fundamental principles, core values, the nature the law formation, the consequences of the expansion of its subjects along with the fragmentation of international law. The course will examine these abstract issues in the context of contemporary challenges of international politics and relations, including economic globalization.

A World Made New

The course aims to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by exploring the adventurous history of its drafting, the late-night debates, the subsequent impacts of the adoption along with the controversies and key challenges surrounding the international human rights system the UDHR built. The course aims to analyze the dominant role of human rights in contemporary public thinking and debates as well as the wide-ranging implications of this phenomenon. It seeks to examine the role of national sovereignty and subsidiarity in the human rights system along with the current proliferation of rights’ claims.

Globalization Through International Law

The course sheds light on the areas of international law that serve as pillars for the rise of economic globalization. It will cover the international legal protection of capital investment, international trade law as well as the law of international financial institutions. The course aims to explore how these areas of law operate, what their impacts on state sovereignty are and how they relate to other fields of international law. The course also aims to explore the ongoing reform efforts that aspire to offer a more harmonious and integrated vision of international economic and especially investment law that takes into account other areas and rules of international law in the context of economic globalization.

Cultural Heritage in International Law

The course aims to highlight the importance of the international legal protection of culture and cultural heritage in the era of economic globalization. Therefore, the course focus on the impact of international trade and investment law on the protection of culture and explore the interactions between the two fields of international law. It introduces students into the foundations and development of the international law on culture and cultural heritage as well as into its institutions. The course aims to critically explore and assess the current reform approaches that offer a more harmonious and integrated vision that takes better account of cultural heritage in the context of the era of economic globalization.