Call for Papers: The Missing Link? The Fundamental Interplay of Commissions and International Courts in Regional Integration

iCourts has issued a call for papers for a conference on "The Missing Link? The Fundamental Interplay of Commissions and International Courts in Regional Integration." Here's the call:

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Missing Link? The Fundamental Interplay of Commissions and International Courts in Regional Integration

iCourts, University of Copenhagen 19 – 20 January 2016

It is generally accepted that Europe has played a key role in popularising regional economic integration underpinned by supranational law and enforced by a deeply embedded supranational judiciary. In this regard it is practically undisputed that the European Court of Justice (ECJ)/Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is one of the most effective international courts in history, and one of the main driving forces behind successful integration in Europe. Closely related, European scholars have also documented the fundamental contributions of the European Commission –the European Union (EU)’s executive organ/bureaucracy- to the effectiveness of the EU’s legal system and the work of the ECJ/CJEU. The European Commission has variously been described as ‘the engine of integration or the EU’s policy entrepreneur (Metcalfe, 1996), ‘the Conscience of the Community’ (Peterson, 2011), the ‘guardian of the Treaties’ (Metcalf, 1996; Hooge) and ‘guardian of the European rules’ (Steunenberg, 2010). The diffusion of the ECJ/CJEU style international courts in regional integration schemes around the globe is acknowledgment of, and attempt to replicate European integration successes through judicialisation of integration processes. However, although imitators of the EU have generally also established Secretariats/Commissions, the contribution of such organs to the judicial processes of their respective organisations remains largely unexplored.

In order to address the neglect of Secretariats/Commissions in the judicial processes of regional integration organisations, this conference invites original, scientific contributions especially from law, sociology, political science and history that address questions relating to how the presence or absence of these organs affect the work of regional international courts. Among others, contributions can address the position and functions of Commissions in the institutional framework of regional organisations; the legitimating influence of the Commissions; the relationships between Commissions, regional international courts and member states; the contribution and impact of Commissions on the effectiveness of regional international courts; and the role of Commissions in advancing the ‘international rule of law’ in their respective organisational frameworks. We particularly encourage papers which explore the role of Commissions in less studied regional integration systems such as those in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Paper proposals/abstracts no longer than 400 words should kindly be submitted to Solomon.Ebobrah@jur.ku.dk by 15 September 2015.