KNVIR Annual Meeting 2025 Annoucement

,

State Immunity in Civil Proceedings
Comparative Notes and Critical Analysis

Annual General Meeting of the
Royal Netherlands Society of International Law
Friday 7 November 2025 at 14.30 hours

Campus Den Haag, Leiden University, Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP Den Haag

This year’s theme is State Immunity in Civil Proceedings. Can immunity from jurisdiction of a foreign State regard private parties in civil proceedings in which the foreign State is not even mentioned as a party to the proceedings? To what extent does customary international law provide for immunity of execution of assets belonging to a foreign State? And is the Netherlands in need of an immunity act?

SPEAKERS:

Cathalijne van der Plas and Thom Dieben
will present their paper
Immunity from jurisdiction in civil proceedings
in which a foreign state is not named as a party

and Max van Leyenhorst
will present his paper
Immunity from execution. A quest for the rule of (customary International) law
followed by reflections by
Jure Vidmar

The meeting starts at 14.30 hours with a members-only administrative session. At 15.00 hours, the presentations and discussion will start, open to all, followed by drinks.

REGISTRATION: Via gro.r1762638278ivnk@1762638278tcatn1762638278oc1762638278 by 4 November 2025. Please indicate whether you attend in person or online.

Non-members can receive a copy of the paper by joining the Society (€40/€20 per year).

We hope to welcome you on 7 November!

International Food Law Symposium

,

JOINT EVENT
ORGANISED BY THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (KNVIR) WITH WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH (WUR) AND THE FOOD LAW ACADEMICS NETWORK (FLAN)

International Food Law Symposium

TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2025 13.30 – 17.00
CAMPUS LEIDEN UNIVERSITY, WIJNHAVEN, ROOM 3.16, TURFMARKT 99, THE HAGUE AND ONLINE

The International Food Law Symposium is a joint event organized by the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR), Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the Food Law Academics Network (FLAN).

The symposium combines introductory, fundamental and critical perspectives, both international and European, with contributions on special topics. For more information on the topics presented at the symposium, please see the full programme here. At the end of the event there will be room to discuss how International Food Law and International Law relate to each other, and the work of KNVIR. The meeting is followed by drinks.

Registration: please send an email to gro.r1762638278ivnk@1762638278tcatn1762638278oc1762638278 by Tuesday 18 November 2025 indicating whether you would like to attend the meeting in person or online.

International Food Law Symposium 25 November 2025Download

François Prize 2026 Invitation

,

The Board of the

ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

INVITES

those who are students at a Dutch university, or have obtained a Master’s degree from a Dutch University after 31 December 2023, to submit their Master’s thesis on a subject of Public International Law or Private International Law to compete for the

FRANÇOIS PRIZE 2026

Please note that submissions written by more than one author will not be accepted. Neither will be theses that have been adapted, for example with a view to publication.

The submissions will be judged by a jury chaired by Prof. Dr C.M.J. Ryngaert, Professor of Public International Law at Utrecht University. The other two members of the jury are Dr O. Spijkers, Assistant Professor of International and European Law at Leiden University College, and Dr Vesna Lazic, Associate Professor at Utrecht University and Senior Researcher at the Asser Institute. Submissions should be sent to the Secretariat of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law, in triplicate and anonymized, addressed as follows:
c/o Ms. I.W.C. Hogervorst
P.O. Box 778
2300 AT LEIDEN

Each submission must be accompanied by a completed and signed entry form and should reach the Secretariat no later than 31 December 2025. The entry form may be found here. The François Prize Bye-laws may be consulted here.

The François Prize, named after Prof. Mr J.P.A. François (1889-1978), was created in 1975 by the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law with a view to encouraging the study of Public International Law and Private International Law.
The prize consists of an award of € 2,000 and a certificate.

Spring Meeting 2025

,

INTERNATIONAL LAW AND NATIONALISM:
HISTORIES OF A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP

On 3 June 2025 the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR) held its Spring Meeting on: ‘International Law and Nationalism: Histories of a Complicated Relationship’. The main speaker was Prof. Ingo Venzke, Professor of International Law and Social Justice, University of Amsterdam. Dr. Misha Plagis, Assistant Professor, Leiden University, and Luca Pasquet, Assistant Professor, Utrecht University, commented on the topic from a contemporary perspective. Prof. Aukje Van Hoek (President KNVIR) moderated the meeting. The meeting was hosted by Leiden University. The recording of the presentations and the Q&A can be viewed in the video below.

Annual General Meeting 2024

,

The Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR) devoted its Annual General Meeting of 1 November 2024 to the theme: ‘Missing Links in the Migration Law Debate’.

The recording of the meeting, hosted by Leiden University, can be viewed here. Speakers were:

  • Dr Carolus Grütters, Fellow, Centre for Migration Law, Radboud University
  • Dr Karen Geertsema, Assistant Professor, Centre for Migration Law, Radboud University
  • Prof. Klara Boonstra, Professor of International Labour Law, VU Amsterdam
  • Dr Nawal Mustafa, Assistant Professor, Cultural Studies Department, University of Amsterdam
  • Prof. Ian Sumner, Professor of Family Law and Private International Law, Tilburg University
  • Prof. Susan Rutten, Professor of Islamic Family Law in a European Context, Maastricht University

The meeting was introduced and moderated by Prof. Aukje van Hoek, President KNVIR.

Winner – François Prize 2024

,

At the Annual General Meeting of 1 November 2024, held in The Hague, the J.P.A François Prize was awarded to:

Lautaro Melcón

Lautaro Pablo Melcón Meroi

Click here for the jury report

Click here for the prize winning paper

Mr Cor de Boer (Groningen University) received an honourable mention for his paper entitled “Perspectives on Advancing Protection for LGBTIQ+ Prisoners of War”.