Philippe Couvreur

After a classical education at the Collège Jean XXIII in Brussels, Philippe Couvreur studied law at Notre-Dame de la Paix University in Namur and at the Université catholique de Louvain, and international and European law at King's College London, at the Complutense University of Madrid and at the Université catholique de Louvain. He also studied Thomist philosophy in this latter university. Philippe Couvreur speaks five languages fluently (French, Dutch, English, Spanish and Italian).

After working in the legal department of the European Commission, Philippe Couvreur held several legal positions at the International Court of Justice successively (since 1982), including the position of Principal Legal Secretary (Head of the Legal Department).

Beginning in February 2000, he served as the Registrar of the International Court of Justice,[1] for which post he was re-elected twice for a seven years mandate.

He retired on 1 July 2019.

Jurist, Couvreur taught European and international law in numerous universities and academies, in the capacity of:

• from 1976 to 1982, Assistant Professor at the European Studies Centre and the Law Faculty of the Université catholique de Louvain;
• from 1980 to 1982, Visiting Professor in the law of international organizations at the Law Faculty of the University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso);
• from 1986 to 1996, Professor in the law of nations and comparative constitutional law at HEC Saint Louis (Brussels);
• from 1997 to 2017, Guest lecturer at the Law Faculty of the Université catholique de Louvain (co-lecturer in courses on the advanced law of nations and current issues in public international law).

He has also been a speaker at numerous colloquiums, conferences and seminars, including the:

• Belgian Royal Academy;
• Xiamen Academy of International Law;
• University of Alcalá;
• Diplomatic Academy of Vienna;
• University of the Basque Country;
• University of Helsinki;
• Pusan National University;
• University of Leuven;
• University of Burgundy;
• Seoul National University;
• University of Seville;
• Sophia University of Tokyo;
• University of Zagreb.

Philippe Couvreur is also a Corresponding Member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, as well as a member of various other learned societies. He holds various decorations, including notably Commander by Number of the Orden de Isabel la Católica (Spain) and of the Orden del Mérito civil (Spain), Officer of the Légion d'honneur (France), as well as Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold (Belgium).

• Le déroulement du procès devant la Cour internationale de Justice in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
• La Cour internationale de Justice: Un entretien avec M. Philippe Couvreur, Greffier de la Cour internationale de Justice in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law (retrieved 2013-03-26)
• La Cour permanente de Justice Internationale: Un entretien avec M. Philippe Couvreur, Greffier de la Cour internationale de Justice in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law (retrieved 2013-03-26)
• Réunion d'information au Palais de la Paix à l'intention des membres du corps diplomatique in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law (retrieved 2013-03-26)

• La problématique de l’adhésion de l’Espagne aux Communautés européennes, with E. Cerexhe, Centre d’Etudes Européennes of the Université catholique de Louvain, June 1978, 119 pages.
• "L’adhésion de l’Espagne aux Communautés européennes : l’ordre juridique communautaire", in L’Espagne et les Communautés européennes – Problèmes posés par l’adhésion, Brussels, Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 1979, pp. 135–175.
• "Introducción al estudio de los fundamentos jurídicos del compromiso convencional externo de la Comunidad economica europea", Integracion lationoamericana, No. 56, April 1981, pp. 22–37.
• "Quelques aspects des rapports entre droit international et droit communautaire", with N. Elkin, in The Law of the European communities and Greece, Thesaurus Acroasium, Vol. VIII, Institute of International Public Law and International Relations of Thessaloniki, 1981, pp. 573–579.
• "L’épuisement des voies de recours internes et la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme : l’arrêt Van Oosterwijck du 6 novembre 1980", Revue belge de droit international, Vol. XVI, 1981, pp. 130–171.
• "Les Etats fédéraux dans les relations internationales : les organisations internationals", Revue belge de droit international, Vol. XVII, 1983, p. 189–227.
• "La nationalité mexicaine", in Jurisclasseur sur la nationalité, Répertoire notarial (droit français), Paris, 1983, 19 pages.
• "Réflexions sur la portée et les effets de l’engagement conventionnel externe de la Communauté Economique Européenne", in Pensamiento Juridico Y Sociedad Internacional, Libro-homenajè al Profesor D. Antonio Truyol y Serra, Madrid, Tecnos, 1986, pp. 327–363.
• "Réflexions sur la 'loyauté' dans les rapports judiciaires internationaux", in La loyauté : Mélanges offerts à Etienne Cerexhe, Brussels, Larcier, 1996, pp. 67–95.
• "A propos de l’effectivité de la Cour internationale de Justice dans le règlement pacifique des différends internationaux", African Yearbook of International Law, 1996, Vol. 4, pp. 103–134.
• "The Effectiveness of the International Court of Justice in the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes", in The International Court of Justice: its Future Role after Fifty Years, A.S. Muller et al. (eds), The Hague, Martinus Nijhof, 1997, pp. 83–116.
• "Développements récents concernant l’accès des organisations intergouvernementales à la procédure contentieuse devant la Cour internationale de Justice", in Liber amicorum Mohammed Bedjaoui, The Hague, Kluwer Law International, 1999, pp. 293–323.
• "La contribution du Professeur Charles De Visscher à la justice internationale", European Journal of International Law, 1999, pp. 905–938.
• "L’organisation et les moyens des juridictions internationales face au contentieux international", in La juridictionnalisation du droit international, Colloque de Lille, Société française de droit international, Paris, Pedone, 2003, pp. 467–509.
• "El Secretario de la Corte International de Justicia: estatuto y funciones", in Iniciacion a la pratica en Derecho internacional y Derecho comunitaro europeo, Carlos Jimenez Piernas (ed.), Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Marcia Pons, 2003, pp. 21–81.
• "Le Greffier de la Cour internationale de Justice : statut et fonctions", Global Community: Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence, 2003, Vol. I, pp. 19–78.
• "Le règlement juridictionnel", in Le processus de délimitation maritime, étude d’un cas fictif, Colloque international de Monaco, Institut du droit économique de la mer (INDEMER), Paris, Pedone, 2004, pp. 349–388.
• "Charles de Visscher", in Juristas universales. De Roma a nuestros días, Madrid, Marcial Pons, Vol. 4 (Juristas del Siglo XX. De Kelsen a Rawles), 2004, pp. 199–122.
• "Article 93", in Commentaire de la Charte des Nations article par article, Jean-Pierre Cot and Alain Pellet (eds.), Paris, Economica, 3rd edition, Vol. 2, 2005, pp. 1963–1986.
• "La contribución de España y los españoles al Derecho internacional en particular al arreglo pacífico de las controversias internacionales", Discurso de ingreso del Excmo. Sr. D. Philippe Couvreur, Secretario de la Corte Internacional de Justicia, como académico correspondiente extranjero Anales de la Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, Anuario, 2005.
• "Article 72 – Conséquences de la suspension de l’application d’un traité", in Les conventions de Vienne sur le droit des traités. Commentaire article par article, Pierre Klein and Olivier Corten (eds.), Brussels, Bruylant, 2006, Vol. III, pp. 2565–2585.
• "Aperçu du statut et des fonctions du Greffier de la Cour internationale de Justice", in Les arrêts de la Cour internationale de Justice, Proceedings of the workshops organized by the Law and Political Science Faculty of the University of Burgundy, Dijon, compiled by Charalambos Apostolidis, Dijon, Editions universitaires de Dijon, 2005, pp. 65–81.
• "Article 16", "Article 17", in The Statute of the International Court of Justice: a commentary, Andreas Zimmermann, Christian Tomuschat and Karin Oellers-Frahm (eds.), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1st ed., 2006, pp. 323–349;  2nd ed., 2012, pp. 356–385, 3rd. ed., 2019 (forthcoming).
• "Article 24", (revised and updated edition, 1st ed. by Sir Robert Jennings), in The Statute of the International Court of Justice: a commentary, Andreas Zimmermann, Christian Tomuschat, Karin Oellers-Frahm and Christian J. Tams, (eds.), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2nd. ed., 2012, pp. 453–464, 3rd. ed., 2019 (forthcoming).
• "El balance histórico-sociológico de la Corte", "La obra de la Corte Internacional de Justicia" and "El Papel de la secretaría a través del procedimiento judicial ante la Corte Internacional de Justicia", Cursos de verano de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Servicio editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco 2007, pp. 100–204.
• "The Registrar of the International Court of Justice: Status and Functioning", in The Legal Practice in International Law and European Community Law, Carlos Jiménez Piernas (ed.), Martinez Sijthof, 2007.
• "The International Court of Justice at The Hague: the Keystone of the Edifice of the 'Legal Capital of the World'”, in The Hague Legal Capital? – Liber in honorem W. J. Deetman, Hague Academic Press, 2008, pp. 181–189.
• "La Belgique dans la tourmente espagnole. Notes sur l’affaire de Borchgrave", in Guerra y Paz: 1945–2009 – Obra homenaje al Dr. Santiago Torres Bernárdez, Cursos de Derecho Internacional y Relaciones Internacionales de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Universidade del País Vasco, 2010, pp. 76–119.
• "La jurisprudencia de la Corte Internacional de Justicia en materia de Derechos Humanos", in La eficacia del Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, Cursos de Derechos Humanos de Donostia-San Sebastian, Vol. XI, Juan Soroeta Liceras (ed.), Servicio editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco, 2011, pp. 123–147.
• "Notes sur le 'droit' colonial français dans la mise en œuvre du principe de l'uti possidetis juris par la Cour internationale de Justice", in L’Afrique et le droit international : Variations sur l’Organisation internationale / Africa and International Law : Reflections on the International Organization – Liber Amicorum Raymond Ranjeva, Maurice K. Kamga and Makane Moïse Mbengue (eds.), Paris, Pedone, 2013, pp. 111–124.
• "Regards sur la Cour permanente de Justice internationale", in The Global Community: Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence, Global Trends: Law, Policy & Justice Essays in Honour of Professor Giuliana Ziccardi Capaldo, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni et al. (eds.), New York, Oxford University Press USA, 2013, pp. 101–115.
• "La Corte Internacional de Justicia: su contribución al Derecho Internacional", in España y la práctica del Derecho Internacional. LXXV Aniversario de la Asesoría Jurídica Internacional del MAEC, José Martín y Pérez de Nanclares (eds.), Colección Escuela Diplomática No. 20, 2014, pp. 145–158.
• "Notes sur la Cour internationale de justice et la volonté des États", in Les limites du droit international : Essais en l’honneur de Joe Verhoeven, Pierre d’Argent, Béatrice Bonafé, Jean Combacau, (coord.), Bruylant, Brussels, 2015, pp. 423–447.
• "The International Court of Justice", in The Contribution of International and Supranational Courts to the Rule of Law, Geert De Bare, Jan Wouters, (eds.), Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, Elgar Publishing, 2015, pp. 85–126.
• "La Ville libre de Dantzig devant la Cour permanente de Justice Internationale", in Contemporary Developments in International Law: Essays in Honour of Budislav Vukas, Rüdiger Wolfrum et al. (eds.), Brill/Nijhoff, Leiden/Boston, 2016, pp. 3–25.
• "Privileges and Immunities of Members of the International Court of Justice, the Registrar and Officials of the Registry, and Other Persons Connected with the Business of the Court", in The Conventions on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies. A Commentary, August Reinisch (ed.), Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 859–871.
• "Le 'droit colonial' dans le contentieux frontalier terrestre, à la lumière de la jurisprudence récente de la CIJ", in Droit des frontières internationales, Pierre d’Argent, Evelyne Lagrange, Stefan Oeter, (dir.), Pedone, Paris, 2016, pp. 127–144.
• "L’œuvre de la CIJ à la veille de son 70^e anniversaire. Son rôle dans la réalisation des buts et principes des Nations Unies", Romanian Journal of International Law, vol. 17 (2017), pp. 8–25.
• The International Court of Justice and the Effectiveness of International Law, Collected Courses of the Xiamen Academy of International Law, vol. 9, Brill/Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden, 2016, 271 p.[2]
• "The Use of Technical Experts by the International Court of Justice", in New Approaches to the Law of the Sea – In Honour of José Antonio de Yturriaga, Pablo Antonio Fernández-Sánchez (dir.), Nova Publishers, New York, 2017, pp. 111–124.
• "Estoppel: synonyme pédant de la bonne foi", in Dictionnaire des idées reçues du droit international, Pedone, Paris, 2017, pp. 221–228.
• "La Grèce et la justice internationale", in Liber Amicorum Stelios Perrakis, Sideris Publications, Athens, 2017, 2017, pp. 79–96.
• "70 Years of the International Court of Justice : How Does It Remain Relevant in a Changing World?", Sophia Law Review, vol. 61 (2017), pp. 1–15.
• "Evidence before the International Court of Justice", in R. Kolodkin (ed.), Evidence before International Courts and Tribunals: Distinct Fora, Similar Approaches?, International and Comparative Law Research Center, Moscou, 20 (to be published).

• UN Biography, Philippe Couvreur