The Italian Yearbook of International Law

Volume XXV of the Italian Yearbook of International Law opens with pieces dedicated to the memory of Professor Conforti and Professor Ferrari Bravo, two founding members of the Board of Editors of the IYIL who passed away in early 2016. There follows a Focus section devoted to a number of international and European legal issues raised by the ongoing migratory crisis. It discusses inter alia the fight against migrant smuggling under UN Security Council resolution 2240 (2015), amendment proposals to the 1951 Refugees Convention, the implications for international responsibility of the EU’s hotspot approach to managing migration, and the protection of EU citizens victims of human trafficking in Europe. The section on Notes and Comments contains a variety of timely contributions, including on the regime governing wrecks of State-owned ships, on the legal framework to counter foreign terrorist fighters, and on the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The section on Practice of International Courts and Tribunals offers an analytical overview of the 2015 activities of the ICJ, the ITLOS and other law of the sea jurisdictions, international and mixed criminal courts and tribunals, the WTO, and ICSID. The following part of the Volume continues the tradition of the Italian Yearbook of providing reports on the contemporary Italian practice of international law, including judicial practice, diplomatic and parliamentary practice, treaty practice, and legislation. The remaining part of the Volume contains a bibliographical index of Italian contributions to international law scholarship published in 2015, a book review section, and an analytical index for easy consultation and reference to materials cited in the Yearbook.