The Legal Consequences of Obligations Erga Omnes in International Law

While obligations erga omnes have increasingly been referred to in the jurisprudence, the legal consequences of those obligations are not adequately clarified in international law. Thus this article explores the legal effects of obligations erga omnes in general international law. After an examination of the criteria for the identification of obligations erga omnes, this article considers three possible legal consequences of those obligations: (1) the obligation not to recognize illegal situations, (2) third-party countermeasures, and (3) the locus standi of not directly injured States in response to a breach of obligations erga omnes. There is little doubt that the concept of obligations erga omnes is key in protecting the fundamental values and common interests of the international community as a whole or community interests. However, it cannot pass unnoticed that the legal effects of obligations erga omnes can be restricted by several factors. In this sense, it may have to be admitted that the concept of obligations erga omnes remains ambivalent as a means of protecting community interests in international law.