On 9 September 2025, Martti Koskenniemi, former Finnish diplomat and renowned expert in the field of international law, addressed the topic ‘Sovereignty – The Powers of a Paradox’ in a keynote followed by a roundtable discussion organized by the Department of International Law and International Relations as well as the Review of Central and East European Law. The event was part of the “REWI im Gespräch” lecture series.
After welcoming words by Erika de Wet, Head of the Department, and introductory remarks by Rector Peter Riedler as well as Dean Gabriele Schmölzer, Koskenniemi began his lecture with a focus on the complexity of the term sovereignty, which he describes as a polemical and at the same time paradoxical concept. On the one hand, sovereignty is indispensable for legitimizing the highest authority of state power, yet on the other hand, it is a term that is constantly discussed and questioned.
With the help of historical examples – inter alia, the Lotus Case, the Treaty of Saint-Germain and the Congress of Vienna – Koskenniemi illustrated that sovereignty is not an immutable concept, but has been interpreted differently as well as extended and restricted to varying degrees throughout history, or even used to advocate for the legitimization of the exercise of sheer political power contra legem. Theoretical approaches, such as Hans Kelsen’s view of sovereignty as embedded in a system of legal norms, illustrate the tension between sovereignty as a fact and sovereignty as a legal construct.
The lecture was followed by a roundtable discussion in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Review of Central and East European Law, during which the concept of sovereignty was further explored. The participants included Andreas Müller, University of Basel, Erika de Wet and Benedikt Harzl, University of Graz, as well as Martti Koskenniemi himself.
The Faculty of Law, and especially the Department of International Law and International Relations, would like to extend their sincere gratitude to Martti Koskenniemi for his insightful lecture, as well as to all the panellists and participants for the stimulating exchange of ideas during this event.
