Paul Reuter (1911-1990) was "one of the twentieth century's greatest specialists on international law" and the principal architect of the legal framework for the

European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to regulate the coal and steel industries. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembo ...

, the first in a series of institutions that would ultimately become the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Biography

Early years

Paul Reuter was born on 12 February 1911 in Metz, which at that time was part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, but reverted to France at the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He served in the French Forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Academic career

Reuter obtained the title of ''Agrégé de droit'' in 1928, and in 1933 was awarded his Doctor of Laws at the University of Nancy. He began his long teaching career at the University of Nancy in the mid-1930s and was later on the university law faculties of Poitiers, Aix-en-Provence, Paris, and the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva. Oxford University Press's ''Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law'' (''EDIL'') lists Reuter's principal works as: - ''Droit International public'' (5th ed. 1976), - ''Institutions internationals'' (8th ed. 1965), - ''Institutions et relations internationals'' (2nd ed. 1988), ''- Introduction au droit des traités'' (3rd ed. 1990). His book on the law of treaties (''Introduction au droit des traités'') is viewed as a "classic" work. This volume, and Reuter's book on international organizations (''Institutions internationals'') "are regarded as authoritative by academic and government circles alike." Further, Reuter's 1953 book on the European Coal and Steel Community (''Communauté Européen du Charbon et de l'Acier'') is the ''EDIL'''s recommended source on the institutions and structure of the European Community.

Government Advisor, and role in the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community

After the war, Reuter held senior positions in the French Ministries of Information, Justice, and National Defence, and he was a long-time adviser to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reuter's input and expertise in international and public law was instrumental in the drafting of the

Schuman Declaration The Schuman Declaration, or Schuman Plan, was a proposal to place French and West German production of coal and steel under a single authority that later became the European Coal and Steel Community, made by the French foreign minister, Robert ...

and the

Treaty of Paris (1951) The Treaty of Paris (formally the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community) was signed on 18 April 1951 between France, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, establishing the European Coal and Steel Co ...

, which led to the creation of the

(ECSC). The ECSC laid the foundation for the 1958 establishment of the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

, the forerunner of the

Judicial career

Reuter was a member of the

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

of the United Nations from 1964 to 1989. He represented France before the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

. As "one of the great international law minds of the world", Reuter was much in demand in international adjudications and arbitrations.

Honours and Awards

In 1981, Reuter was awarded the

Balzan Prize The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the br ...

for his work in International Public Law. The Balzan Prize is "one of the most prestigious international awards in natural science and humanities" and, in 2020, was worth 750,000 Swiss francs (about $800,000 US dollars.) During 1985 and 1986, Reuter was President of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Institute of International Law (''Institut de Droit International').'' In 1986 Reuter received the World Academy of Art & Science ''Rufus Jones Award for Contributions to World Peace and International Understanding.''

Death and legacy

Paul Reuter died on 29 April 1990 at the age of 79. The construction of Europe owes much to Professor Reuter, according to Honorary President of the ''French Society for International Law'',

Alain Pellet Alain Pellet (born 2 January 1947) is a French lawyer who teaches international law and international economic law at the Université de Paris Ouest - Nanterre La Défense. He was director of the university's Centre de Droit International (CED ...

. He believes "It was not exaggeration to say that, without him, the European Communities would not have appeared in their present form, or would have been established only much later." Also, Reuter's contribution to the modern law of treaties and the law of international organizations will leave "indelible imprints on legal history" according to Bola Ajibola, speaking on behalf of the African country members of the UN's International Law Commission. Ajibola noted Reuter aspired to make international law "free from injustice and intended to serve the interest of both developed and developing counties, while protecting the weak from the strong." A donation by Reuter in 1981 enabled the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

(ICRC) to establish the ''Paul Reuter Prize'' to encourage research in, and the promotion of, international humanitarian law.

External links

Schuman Declaration

Paul Reuter Prize

References

{{reflist 1911 births 1990 deaths 20th-century French lawyers