Despite the rule of law being one of the founding values and objectives of the European Union, some of the Member States have disrespected the rule of law. In response, the European Commission has invented new tools to reinforce the rule of law. The newest tool is the Rule of Law Report, and the purpose of this thesis is to study the Report’s significance in ensuring respect for the rule of law in the EU. To do so a combination of legal methods and a range of sources, such as EU primary law, case-law, EU documents and doctrine, have been used. The Report is issued annually, so far it has been published in three editions stretching from 2020 to 2022. The Report builds on a general part and 27 country chapters assessing the rule of law situation in each Member State. From the 2022 Report onwards, the Report is also accompanied with recommendations to each Member State. The Report is to be considered soft law. It is non-binding and can, hence, not be subject to judicial review by the European Court of Justice, but it imposes a moral obligation on the institutions addressed. Mainly on the Member States, but also on the Council, the European Parliament, and other bodies of the EU. It is descriptive, interpretative and has a connection to hard law but can only be enforced by soft enforcement. Furthermore, the Report does not explicitly mention a legal basis, but the Commission appears to have the conferred powers to adopt the act. Moreover, the Report have had practical effects at national and EU-level, and it has potential to have even more effects. It urges national rule of law reforms and causes debate in the institutions and national parliaments about the rule of law situation. It could be subject to interpretation in the ECJ and in national courts and it could serve as a source to activate other hard tools in the rule of law toolbox. Despite being criticised, the Report has significance in ensuring respect for the rule of law in the EU. It might have a low legal status, but it has legal relevance, and it has the potential to have even higher legal relevance in the future.

Les mécanismes de soft law ont joué un rôle central dans le développement de la notion actuelle de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales en droits de l’homme telle qu’elle est définie dans les Principes directeurs relatifs aux entreprises et aux droits de l’homme, une initiative approuvé par le Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations unies en juin 2011. La responsabilité des entreprises de respecter les droits de l’homme, telle qu’elle a été conçue par le Représentant spécial, repose sur les attentes de la société plutôt que sur une obligation juridique. Cela signifie que les entreprises « devraient éviter de porter atteinte aux droits de l’homme d’autrui et remédier aux incidences négatives sur les droits de l’homme dans lesquelles elles ont une part ». Les limites de cette approche sont importantes à moyen et à long terme. Même si l’approche pragmatique adopté par le Représentant spécial a permis de surmonter le débat au sein de la communauté internationale autour du Projet de normes sur la responsabilité en matière de droits de l’homme des sociétés transnationales et autres entreprises, elle a aussi éloigné la possibilité d’élaborer un instrument international imposant aux entreprises transnationales des obligations contraignantes en droits de l’homme. Construire la notion de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales en matière de droits de l’homme uniquement sur les attentes de la société semble insuffisant et dangereux face aux victimes des abus de ces acteurs économiques. La responsabilité de respecter les droits de l’homme, telle que définie aujourd’hui, renforce l’acceptation d’un système international où les entreprises transnationales sont encouragées mais pas obligées à respecter les droits de l’homme, une solution qui laisse les victimes des abus dépourvues de toute action en justice et de réparation. L’objet de cette thèse est de présenter de manière succincte l’évolution de la problématique complexe de la responsabilité des entreprises transnationales du secteur énergétique en matière de droit international des droits de l’homme et de droit international humanitaire depuis son origine jusqu’à nos jours, ainsi que de comprendre les principales limites de l’approche actuelle à la question, afin d’envisager des potentielles solutions. / Soft law mechanisms have played a central role in developing the current notion of the responsibility of transnational corporations in human rights as defined in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, an initiative approved by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2011. Corporate responsibility to respect human rights, as defined by the Special Representative, is based on social expectations rather than on legal obligations. It means that companies should “avoid prejudice to the rights of others and to address adverse impacts on human rights in which they are involved”. The limitations of this approach are important in medium and long term. Although the pragmatic approach adopted by the Special Representative has closed the international community debate on the Draft Norms on the responsibility for human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, it also ends the chances of developing an international instrument requiring binding obligations in human rights for transnational corporations. Setting the notion of the responsibility of transnational corporations in human rights exclusively on social expectations seems unsatisfactory and dangerous towards victims of violations committed by these economic actors. Responsibility to respect human rights as defined today reinforces the acceptance of a system where transnational corporations are encouraged but are not compelled to respect human rights, a solution that leaves victims of abuse devoid of any legal action and redress. The purpose of this PhD thesis is to present briefly the evolution of the responsibility of transnational corporations in the energy sector in human rights and international humanitarian law from its origins to our days, as well as to understand the main limitations of the current concept in order to explore potential solutions.

Malgré l’amélioration du régime des droits de propriété intellectuelle (DPI) en Chine après l’accession de celle-ci à l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) en 2001, la question relative aux DPI demeure l’un des « sujets de vive préoccupation » dans le commerce sino-européen. Selon la stratégie européenne visant à assurer le respect des DPI dans les pays tiers, adoptée en 2005 et renouvelée en 2014, la Chine est ciblée par la Commission européenne comme le premier pays tiers dans lequel les autorités locales ne prennent pas de mesure efficace pour s’attaquer aux problèmes de violations des DPI. En raison des enjeux politiques et économiques importants pour l’UE, son intervention est nécessaire pour améliorer le régime des DPI et l’environnement de l’investissement en Chine. L’analyse de l’action extérieure de l’UE s’appuie sur l’étude des instruments auxquels elle recourt en vue de renforcer la protection et le respect des DPI en Chine. L’objet de notre recherche est d’examiner la manière dont l’Union choisit d’exploiter les instruments à géométrie variable au sein des enceintes multilatérale et bilatérale. Deux axes distincts mais complémentaires orientent la mise en œuvre de l’action extérieure de l’UE vis-à-vis de la Chine : l’approche coopérative, d’une part, et de l’approche conventionnelle, d’autre part. L’approche coopérative vise d’abord à rapprocher le régime juridique chinois des standards les plus élevés du droit de l’UE. En dépit d’un certain nombre de difficultés limitant l’efficacité de l’action extérieure de l’UE, la coopération bilatérale avec la Chine permet de contribuer à l’amélioration du régime juridique chinois. La convergence normative devrait ensuite faciliter l’apparition d’une approche commune entre l’UE et la Chine sur le plan conventionnel. Il importe à cet égard de souligner la position divergente de la Chine face à la promotion de l’UE, par la voie conventionnelle, d’un renforcement de la protection et du respect des DPI. Malgré la convergence accrue des positions européenne et chinoise favorables à la protection « ADPIC-plus » des DPI, la Chine se montre réticente voire hostile envers les initiatives conventionnelles de l’UE tendant à renforcer les mesures relatives au respect des DPI. / Despite the improvement of China’s intellectual property rights (IPR) regime after this country’s World Trade Organization (WTO) accession in 2001, the IPR remains one of “major concerns” in Sino-European trade relation. According to European strategy for the enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries, adopted in 2005 and renewed in 2014, China is identified by the European Commission as first priority country, in which the local authority does not take effective measures to tackle the problems caused by IPR violations. Taking into account the EU’s important political and economic concerns, his action is necessary in order to improve the IPR regime and the investment environment in China. The analysis of EU’s external action is based on the instruments used to strengthen IPR’s protection and enforcement in China. The purpose of our research is to examine the EU’s method to use the different instruments within the multilateral and bilateral fora. Two distinct but complementary axes orientate the undertaking of EU’s external action vis-à-vis China: cooperative approach, on the one hand, and the conventional approach, on the other hand. Firstly, the cooperative approach aims to bring Chinese legal system closer to higher standards in EU law. In spite of certain difficulties limiting the efficacy of EU external action, the bilateral cooperation with China can contribute to a better legal system in China. Then, the normative convergence should be able to facilitate the emergence of a common approach between the EU and China in the conventional framework. In this respect, it is important to emphasis Chinese divergent position with regard to EU’s conventional approach aiming to strengthen IPR protection and enforcement. Despite the increasing convergence of European and Chinese positions favorable toward “TRIPs-plus” protection, China seems reluctant even hostile to EU’s conventional initiatives intending to strengthen IPR enforcement measures.

Corporate Governance hat einen radikalen Wandel in Europa seit den 1990er Jahren durchgemacht. Der Wandel ist konsolidiert und ist nun Teil des Rechts der modernen Aktiengesellschaften. Brasilianisches Recht wird immer durch die europäische Gesetzgebung inspiriert. Unsere Studie fragt, aus einer vergleichenden Sicht, ob sich das brasilianische Unternehmensrecht auf die europäische Corporate Governance bezieht. Wir konzentrieren uns in Europa auf das deutsche Recht, das englische Recht, das französische Recht und das europäische Recht. Unsere Analyse geht über die Herzen der Unternehmensführung und umfasst Teile, die dem Kapitalmarkt- und dem Umweltrecht angehören, da sie selbstverständlich auch eine Verbindung mit der Corporate Governance und dem Aktienrecht haben. Das Verständnis des Kerns der Unternehmensführung, welcher die Organisation der Verwaltungsorgane der börsennotierten Aktiengesellschaft ist, hängt von der Analyse der rechtlichen Behandlung von Neben-Themen, die aber verwandt sind, ab, wie die Regeln über die Haftung. / Corporate governance has undergone a radical change in Europe since the 1990s. Change has now consolidated and is part of the company law. Brazilian law has always been inspired by European legislation. Our study asks, from a comparative perspective, if the Brazilian corporate law relates to the European corporate governance. In Europe, we focus on German law, English law, French law and Community law. Our analysis goes beyond the heart of corporate governance and includes parts of capital markets law and environmental law, because they obviously also have a connection with corporate governance and company law. The understanding of the core of corporate governance, which is the organization of administrative bodies of the listed company on a regulated market, depends on the analysis of the legal treatment of incidental subjects, but related, as the regime of liability.

Les négociations internationales concernant la protection des indications géographiques connaissent, depuis près de deux décennies, un blocage au sein de l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce opposant des pays défenseurs des indications géographiques, à des pays plus sceptiques. Résultant d’un compromis entre l’approche des pays de l’Union Européenne et celle des Etats-Unis, les standards minimum de protection des indications géographiques de l’ADPIC ont mis en lumière la diversité des approches juridiques en la matière et fait émerger un débat quasi-passionnel sur les moyens appropriés que l’Etat doit mettre en œuvre pour protéger les noms géographiques. L’histoire renseigne sur le fait que le plaidoyer pour ou le réquisitoire contre l’un ou l’autre camp ont toujours tourné autour des philosophies de la protection des indications géographiques : d’une part, les pays défenseurs des indications géographiques prônent à travers leur mise en œuvre, la protection d’industries plus vulnérables à la concurrence ; d’autre part, les pays sceptiques privilégient le plus possible, la liberté du commerce et de l’industrie et par ricochet, la libre exploitation des signes. Pour ces derniers, seule la reconnaissance par le consommateur d’une association qualité-origine du produit justifie une réservation du nom. Le régime multilatéral des IG issu de l’Accord sur les aspects de la propriété intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce résulte donc d’un compromis entre ces deux philosophies de la protection. D’aucuns ont souligné le caractère insatisfaisant d’un tel compromis qui ne rend pas nécessairement compte de la nature réelle de ces signes géographiques. Ce travail tente de le transcender. Il est fondé sur le pari que, dans une perspective juridique, tout n’a peut-être pas été essayé. Dans un effort pour trouver un dénominateur commun et pour proposer une solution à l’impasse actuelle, cette recherche repose sur le rapprochement du régime de protection des indications géographiques, au régime de protection des droits de l’Homme. Non pas dans une perspective moralisatrice mais bien dans un effort pour déduire des solutions concrètes quant à la portée de la protection internationale des IG et du rôle des Etats dans la mise en œuvre de ces outils de propriété intellectuelle. L’article 15.1 c) du Pacte sur les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels prévoit : « Chacun a droit à la protection de ses intérêts moraux et matériels découlant de toute production scientifique, littéraire ou artistique dont il est l’auteur ». L’activation de cet article pourrait permettre de voir en les détenteurs d’IG non pas seulement les sujets bénéficiaires de la protection mais les sujets destinataires de politiques publiques. Il y aurait un donc un « droit de » bénéficier d’une certaine protection des IG et un « droit à » certaines prestations publiques. Au-delà de ce cadre en apparence rigide, le recours au droit international des droits de l’Homme rend la recherche d’un équilibre entre les droits de détenteurs IG et les droits du public plus intégratrice d’enjeux multiples et indispensable à la légitimité du régime multilatéral de protection des IG. / Since two decades, the international protection of geographical indications is characterized by a “blockage” in the negotiations at the World Trade Organization opposing the countries favorable to the protection of geographical indications to countries more skeptical in this regard. Deriving from a compromise between the European conception of the protection of GIs and the American one, the minimum standards of TRIPS have revealed the different legal options in this field and have resulted in a passionate debate over the appropriate role of the State. History shows that the advocacy for, or indictment against one or the other way of protecting GIs focuses essentially on the philosophy of protection in one or the other territories. As a reminder, the European Union “culture” is to protect industries far too exposed to competition while the American “culture” is to preserve economic freedom of operators and to grant monopoly on a geographical name only where such name has been tested on the market and is recognized by the “public” as having a geographical anchorage. Equally compelling, neither of these philosophies has allowed reaching the most acceptable balance for GI regime. This work seeks to transcend them. It bets that everything has not been tried yet, at least from a legal perspective. In order to find a common solution and a way forward to multilateral protection of geographical indications, the paper relies on the culture of “human rights”, not really with a view to “moralize” the field of study but more to deduct practical answers deriving from the international human rights law. As a matter of fact, article 15.1 c) of the Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides that “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone […] to benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author”. The activation of this article could allow approaching geographical indications operators, not only as beneficiaries of certain rights but also as beneficiaries of public policies. By virtue of article 15.1 c), there shall be a right to benefit from the GI protection (“right-liberty”) but also, a right to claim certain public policies (“right-debt”) in this regard. Beyond this seemingly strict framework for GIs, the reference to international human rights law proves to beneficial to the necessary balance between the rights of GI operators and the rights of the public. Incidentally, this balance is inclusive of multiple issues which is essential to the legitimacy of the multilateral regime of protection of GIs.

Diamonds have played a dual role in society since their discovery. On the one hand, they have brought smiles to the faces of many exhibiting love, beauty, wealth and brilliance. On the other hand, they have been at the heart of many conflicts. This juxtaposition has different impacts in usage. For those whom diamonds were a positively and morally accepted benefit, it did not present problems. Where diamonds spurned conflicts, it caused harm to lives and territories. Human rights abuses became the cause of international conflicts. Humanitarian interventions appeared on the United Nations Security Council agenda. The United Nations had to address the human rights abuses and had to confront the escalation of human rights abuses. Human rights abuses reached significant proportions forcing the application of humanitarian intervention mechanisms. Control of the diamond trade industry was fast becoming an item on many international peace keeping agendas. International organisations such as the World Trade Organisation, the International Criminal Court, the African Union, the European Union, the World Diamond Council and the United Nations have all tried to influence the diamond trade and its consequential impact upon human rights. These organisations are regulated by law, making them a preferred mechanism for establishing accountability for human rights abuse, arising from the illegal trade in rough diamonds and the maintenance of peace and security.Pressed by the United Nations and, De Beers; NGOs; the Partnership Africa Canada and Global Witness; the World Diamond Council; and many States initiated a formalised voluntary international certification scheme for the export and import of diamonds. Thisinternational certification scheme for the trade of rough diamonds became known as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has been hailed as a milestone in the diamond trade industry. Simultaneously, the Certification Scheme has been criticised for its inefficacy in regulating the legitimate trade of rough diamonds. Whether the Certification Scheme in its present form is suitable to address the crisis in the trade of rough diamonds is central to this study. Thus, the characterisation, monitoring, implementation and evolution of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme will be examined. / Jurisprudence / LLD

Si d’importantes recherches sur les sources du droit et de nombreux travaux sur le droit de la communication par internet ont déjà été menés, cette thèse se distingue des premiers comme des seconds : d’une part, elle interroge des sources souvent originales, loin de réduire le droit à la loi et à la jurisprudence ; d’autre part, elle ne consiste pas en un exposé technique et utilitaire du droit de la communication par internet mais en une étude scientifique et macro-juridique (i.e. détachée des règles et des régimes juridiques). L’observation du droit de la communication par internet est ici au service d’une réflexion relative aux continuités, aux ruptures et aux mouvements actuels et à venir des sources du droit. Cette branche du droit, significative du droit « global » et du droit « postmoderne », est révélatrice de ce à quoi le paysage juridique pourrait ressembler demain, lorsque le droit moderne stato-centré aura été irrémédiablement débordé par un droit « en réseau » dont les propriétés ressemblent fort à celles du réseau mondial qu’est l’internet. Progressivement, les sources auparavant premières deviennent secondaires, celles qui hier demeuraient à l’arrière-plan se retrouvent sur le devant de la scène juridique, tandis que de nouveaux foyers de normes apparaissent. L’objet de cette thèse est de constituer un témoignage de ce renouvellement des lieux et des modes de production des normes en cours / Many books studying the sources of the law and many books studying the Internet law have already been published. This thesis differs from these books : it studies the original sources, not only the state law and the customs; and it is a scientific work and not a practical work. Observations of the Internet law can serve thoughts on the currents and futures continuities and changes of the sources of the law. Studying this young and special law is like studying an example of global law and postmodern law, revealing the specifics of the law of tomorrow, when the modern law centered on the state will be replaced by a different law, whose properties gather those of the Internet. Gradually, the conventional sources are substituted by new sources. This thesis wants to be a witness of these changes in the sources of the law.In terms of legal science and legal thought, lawyers should perhaps avoid analyzing the law of tomorrow with tools and lessons from yesterday. Studying the Internet law invites to build new tools and frameworks in order to describe and explain as accurately as possible the reality of the law. These problems led to the writing of this book. By focusing on specific legal objects that reflect the twenty-first century law, it wants to promote the understanding and the acceptance of changes in the law. Specifically, the objective is to contribute to the renovation of the sources of the law thought when the modern theory appears increasingly archaic because the number, the identity, the architecture and the balance of the sources is permanently evolving

Diamonds have played a dual role in society since their discovery. On the one hand, they have brought smiles to the faces of many exhibiting love, beauty, wealth and brilliance. On the other hand, they have been at the heart of many conflicts. This juxtaposition has different impacts in usage. For those whom diamonds were a positively and morally accepted benefit, it did not present problems. Where diamonds spurned conflicts, it caused harm to lives and territories. Human rights abuses became the cause of international conflicts. Humanitarian interventions appeared on the United Nations Security Council agenda. The United Nations had to address the human rights abuses and had to confront the escalation of human rights abuses. Human rights abuses reached significant proportions forcing the application of humanitarian intervention mechanisms. Control of the diamond trade industry was fast becoming an item on many international peace keeping agendas. International organisations such as the World Trade Organisation, the International Criminal Court, the African Union, the European Union, the World Diamond Council and the United Nations have all tried to influence the diamond trade and its consequential impact upon human rights. These organisations are regulated by law, making them a preferred mechanism for establishing accountability for human rights abuse, arising from the illegal trade in rough diamonds and the maintenance of peace and security.Pressed by the United Nations and, De Beers; NGOs; the Partnership Africa Canada and Global Witness; the World Diamond Council; and many States initiated a formalised voluntary international certification scheme for the export and import of diamonds. Thisinternational certification scheme for the trade of rough diamonds became known as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has been hailed as a milestone in the diamond trade industry. Simultaneously, the Certification Scheme has been criticised for its inefficacy in regulating the legitimate trade of rough diamonds. Whether the Certification Scheme in its present form is suitable to address the crisis in the trade of rough diamonds is central to this study. Thus, the characterisation, monitoring, implementation and evolution of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme will be examined. / Jurisprudence / LLD

Water has been used for military purposes in the past and still continues today, i.e. poisoning of enemy water, attacking enemy water installations, etc. This conduct denies access to water, affects the supply of water, health, supply of electricity, etc. Public international law, such as treaties (e.g. The 1949 Geneva Conventions), customary international law, etc, regulate the protection of water during armed conflict. Chapter I of the dissertation analizes the public international law ire the abovementioned. The application of public inteniational law, depends on the municipal law of the state concerned. This municipal law is, in the case of South Africa, found in the 1996 Constitution. The 1996 Constitution contains specific provisions regarding inter alia the legal obligations of the South African security services, the legal status of international agreements, as well as the application of customary international law and international law. Chapter II of the dissertation analizes the abovementioned wrt the legal obligations of the SA National Defence Force ire the subject matter. / Constitutional, International & Indigenous Law / LL.M. (Public International Law)

La dialectique entre contrats d’Etat et développement durable existe, malgré une antinomie apparente. Elle s’appuie sur une interaction particulière qui s’est construite depuis l’origine, à travers les contrats d’Etat, instruments conventionnels singuliers et autour des nécessités politiques et économiques de l’époque, avec en toile de fond l’impératif de développement.Face aux évolutions sociales successives et l’absence d’arsenal juridique adapté, les contratsd’Etat se sont développés de façon spécifique entre dépendance, indépendance,interdépendance, hétéronomie et autonomie. En droit international des affaires, c’estprécisément à partir du contrat conçu comme un instrument normatif singulier et à travers sesinteractions avec le contexte extracontractuel au sein duquel il est amené à opérer quel’existence d’un droit du développement durable en matière de contrats d’Etat doit êtrefondée. Cela nécessite une autre vision du droit, sans cesse renouvelée et davantageappropriée aux réalités de notre siècle. / Common discussion points between sustainable development and State contracts exist, despite many visible contradictions. They are based on a particular interaction, built up from the beginning through State contracts, which are highly specific agreements and around political and economic necessities of the time, with the notion of development merely as a requirement in the background. Confronted with successive social changes and the lack of an appropriate judicial framework, State contracts developed in a particular way between dependence, independence, interdependence, heteronomy and autonomy. In international business law, the existence of a sustainable development law related to State contracts must be based precisely on contracts, seen as instruments able to set norms, and must benefit from contracts’interactions with a non-contractual environment. That requires another vision of law, constantly renewed and more adapted to current realities.