EJIL: Talk!

On 1 July 2026, the IMO's non-mandatory International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships took effect. The Code provides guidelines for maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), or ships that, to various extents, operate independently of direct human control and are overseen or remotely controlled by humans in remote operations centres (ROCs), where the [...]

On 7 September 2026, Jamaica, which remains a Commonwealth Country with King Charles III as its head of state, will formally present a petition to the King with three questions about the legality of transatlantic chattel slavery and the UK's responsibility to make reparations. Jamaica's petition is part of a decade-long coordinated campaign of Caribbean [...]

The last two weeks have covered a lot of ground, from the collapse of the Central American Court of Justice to Russian policies of population transfer in Ukraine and the place of diplomatic assurances concerning safe third country return. It has also been a fortnight rich in proposals: from how to harmonize free education under [...]

1. The Law of Neutrality and the Prohibition of Aggression: Framing an Old Debate in the Light of Recent State Practice Symposium. On 18 September 2026, from 3pm to 5pm (CET), Bocconi University will host in hybrid format the seminar 'The Law of Neutrality and the Prohibition of Aggression: Framing an Old Debate in the [...]

Lunar exploration during the 20th century sought to reach, explore and, in some cases, return from the Moon,; rather than to serve as successive stages in the construction of permanent lunar infrastructure. Today, lunar missions are mostly about establishing the long-term infrastructure necessary to remain there.

In May 2026, the Central American Court of Justice (CACJ) quietly ceased operations following Honduras' withdrawal-a development that attracted little attention despite marking the end of one of the world's earliest permanent international courts. Although the CACJ never succeeded in consolidating itself, this post aims to draw attention to this overlooked event by exploring the [...]

The past couple of years have seen a substantial number of new developments regarding the relationship between international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL). These include what is probably the most significant judicial engagement ever with this relationship - the 2025 European Court of Human Rights Ukraine and the Netherlands v.

Nothing inherent in children's development explains why their right to education should be more or less accessible depending on whether they are 4, 8, or 16. Yet international law treats financial barriers to education as more or less problematic depending on their stage of childhood.

On 26 May 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) delivered its judgment in J.B. v. Greece (no. 54796/16). The case concerns the potential removal of a Syrian national from Greece to Türkiye under the EU-Türkiye Statement of 18 March 2016, following the rejection of his asylum claim on safe third country grounds.

Russia does not forcibly relocate its civilians into the occupied territories of Ukraine. Instead, it relies on an array of incentives, including preferential mortgages, employment programmes and tax benefits to increase the attractiveness of relocation. This gives rise to a question under the law of occupation: when does voluntary settlement of the Occupying Power's civilian [...]