Intergovernmental organizations: Contemporary practice as an expression of the autonomous will

Abstract

Globalization, internationalization, interdependence and legislation in international relations and international law, which occurred after the end of the Cold war, brought changes into the existence and functioning of international intergovernmental organizations. Their special, autonomous, independent will is getting stronger and is becoming confirmation of their independent legal personality. The main result of the independent roll of international organizations are their decisions, which is why studying and following their internal practice is of crucial importance, although it neglected to a large degree. For that reason, this paper tends to point at several elements of that internal practice, throughout the conducts of members (primarily states) in decision-making and expending competences of the permanent organs, as well as at new phases and new participants in the decision-making process in international organizations. The list of these novelties is certainly not exhausted and new questions arise from the discussion about the responsibility of international organization for their conducts.

Keywords

• intergovernmental organizations
• international institutional law
• sovereign state
• autonomous will
• internal practice of organizations
• non-governmental actors