Paul Reuter (lawyer)

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This article is about the French academic and lawyer. For the founder of Reuters news agency, see Paul Reuter. For the American composer, see Paul Reuter (composer).
Paul Reuter
Born(1911-02-11)11 February 1911
Metz
Died(1990-04-29)29 April 1990
AwardsBalzan Prize
Scientific career
FieldsInternational Law
InstitutionsInternational Law Commission, University of Law, Economics and Social Science of Paris (Paris 2 Pantheon-Assas University)

Paul Reuter was "one of the twentieth century's greatest specialists on international law"[1] and the principal architect of the legal framework for the European Coal and Steel Community,[2] the first in a series of institutions that would ultimately become the European Union.

Biography[]

Early years[]

Paul Reuter was born on 12 February 1911[3] in Metz,[1] which at that time was part of the German Empire, but reverted to France at the end of World War I. He served in the French Forces during World War II.[4]

Academic career[]

Reuter obtained the title of Agrégé de droit in 1928, and in 1933 was awarded his Doctor of Laws at the University of Nancy.[4] He began his long teaching career at the University of Nancy in the mid-1930s and was later on the university law faculties of Poitiers, Aix-en-Provence, Paris, and the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva.[4]

Oxford University Press's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (EDIL) lists Reuter's principal works as:[5]

- Droit International public (5th ed. 1976),

- Institutions internationals (8th ed. 1965),

- Institutions et relations internationals (2nd ed. 1988),

- Introduction au droit des traités (3rd ed. 1990).

His book on the law of treaties (Introduction au droit des traités) is viewed as a "classic" work.[6] This volume, and Reuter's book on international organizations (Institutions internationals) "are regarded as authoritative by academic and government circles alike."[1] Further, Reuter's 1953 book on the European Coal and Steel Community (Communauté Européen du Charbon et de l'Acier) is the EDIL's recommended source on the institutions and structure of the European Community.[5]

Government Advisor, and role in the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community[]

After the war, Reuter held senior positions in the French Ministries of Information, Justice, and National Defence, and he was a long-time adviser to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1] Reuter's input and expertise in international and public law was instrumental in the drafting of the Schuman Declaration and the Treaty of Paris (1951), which led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).[7][4] The ECSC laid the foundation for the 1958 establishment of the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union.

Judicial career[]

Reuter was a member of the International Law Commission of the United Nations from 1964 to 1989.[4][8]

He represented France before the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the European Court of Human Rights.[4]

As "one of the great international law minds of the world", Reuter was much in demand in international adjudications and arbitrations.[4]

Honours and Awards[]

In 1981, Reuter was awarded the Balzan Prize for his work in International Public Law.[9] The Balzan Prize is "one of the most prestigious international awards in natural science and humanities"[10] and, in 2020, was worth 750,000 Swiss francs (about $800,000 US dollars.)[11]

During 1985 and 1986, Reuter was President of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Institute of International Law[12] (Institut de Droit International[13]).

In 1986 Reuter received the World Academy of Art & Science[14] Rufus Jones Award for Contributions to World Peace and International Understanding.[15]

Death and legacy[]

Paul Reuter died on 29 April 1990 at the age of 79.[1]

The construction of Europe owes much to Professor Reuter, according to Honorary President of the French Society for International Law, Alain Pellet.[16] He believes "It was not exaggeration to say that, without him, the European Communities would not have appeared in their present form, or would have been established only much later."[17]

Also, Reuter's contribution to the modern law of treaties and the law of international organizations will leave "indelible imprints on legal history" according to Bola Ajibola, speaking on behalf of the African country members of the UN's International Law Commission.[17] Ajibola noted Reuter aspired to make international law "free from injustice and intended to serve the interest of both developed and developing counties, while protecting the weak from the strong."[17]

A donation by Reuter in 1981 enabled the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to establish the Paul Reuter Prize to encourage research in, and the promotion of, international humanitarian law.[1]

See also[]

European Coal and Steel Community

Schuman Declaration

International Committee of the Red Cross

Balzan Prize

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f International Review of the Red Cross (1990). "Death of Professor Paul Reuter". International Review of the Red Cross. 30 (276): 279–280. doi:10.1017/S0020860400075690.
  2. ^ Stein, Eric. "Review of Organisations européennes by Paul Reuter (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1965)". American Journal of International Law. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ International Balzan Prize Foundation. "Paul Reuter - Balzan Prizewinner Biography". balzan.org. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g McCaffrey, Stephen (1991). "In Memoriam: Paul Reuter". American Journal of International Law. 85: 150–152. doi:10.1017/S0002930000011416.
  5. ^ a b Grant, John; Barker, J. Craig (2009). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-19-538977-7.
  6. ^ United Nations (1990). "Document:- A/CN.4/SR.2190, Summary Record of the 2190 meeting, Extract from the Yearbook of the International Law Commission:-1990, Vol.1". pp. 298–302. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  7. ^ Monnet, Jean (1978). Memoirs. Translated by Mayne, Richard. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. pp. 294–296, 333–334. ISBN 0-385-12505-4.
  8. ^ United Nations. "Present and Former Members of the International Law Commission (1949-present)".
  9. ^ International Balzan Prize Foundation. "Paul Reuter Biography".
  10. ^ "UCI News". 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  11. ^ International Balzan Prize Foundation. "Balzan Prize 2020: Nominations and Subjects".
  12. ^ "Institute of International Law: Facts". NobelPrize.org.
  13. ^ "Institut de Droit International: Presidents precedents".
  14. ^ "World Academy of Art & Science".
  15. ^ "World Academy of Art and Science News" (PDF). July 1986. p. 5.
  16. ^ Société française pour le droit international. "Conseil de la Société".
  17. ^ a b c United Nations. "Document:- A/CN.4/SR.2190, Summary Record of the 2190th meeting, Extract from the Yearbook of the International Law Commission:-1990, vol. 1". pp. 298–302.
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