The Austrian Branch of the ILA

The Austrian Branch was established in 1925 by a group of mostly practising lawyers who were interested in international affairs. From 5 to 11 August 1926, the Branch organised the 34th ILA conference in Vienna, addressing, among others, issues such as a statute of an international penal court, minority rights, diplomatic law, immunities, the protection of private property, and commercial arbitration. The conference led to the adoption of the “Vienna Rules on currency debts in commercial contracts”.

Having been dissolved by Nazi authorities in 1939, the Branch was re-established in June 1947 and has been led since then by academics, mostly professors of public international law, and practitioners, mostly attorneys. The relatively small Austrian Branch, with a typical membership base of around 50 persons, has been very successful in participating in the work of ILA committees and study groups.

The Austrian Branch is pleased to invite the larger ILA community to the 82nd ILA Conference in Vienna, returning to the city that hosted an ILA conference one hundred years ago – a fitting occasion to reflect on how international law has evolved over the past century.