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While international law establishes formal criteria for statehood, in practice, its legal framework remains ambiguous and shaped by political and institutional dynamics. This seminar will critically examine the concept of statehood in international law, exploring its fluidity, contested nature, and practical implications. The discussion will feature two interconnected presentations by visiting scholars at the Sheffield Centre for International and European Law (SCIEL):

• Professor Emanuele Cimiotta (º£½ÇÉçÇø of Perugia) –
  "Statehood? Sometimes. The Absence of a Legal Concept of State in International Law"
   
• Dr. Giulio Fedele (º£½ÇÉçÇø of Rome Unitelma Sapienza) –
  "A Country, but not a State? The Apparent Paradox of International Statehood in Spain v Commission (Kosovo)"

The discussion will be moderated by Professor Nicholas Tsagourias, Chair of International Law at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Sheffield.

Emanuele Cimiotta is Full Professor of International Law at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Perugia. He is member of the Academic Board of the Ph.D. in International and European Law at Sapienza º£½ÇÉçÇø of Rome and has been visiting professor at multiple leading institutions. He specialises in the law on the use of force, the law of state responsibility, international criminal law, international courts and tribunals. He sits in the governing bodies of several law journals, is legal advisor of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and has participated to the Italian delegation to the Public International Law Working Group (COJUR) of the European Union. Emanuele is also Attorney-at-Law at the Bar of Rome.

Giulio Fedele is a Junior Assistant Professor of Public International Law at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Rome Unitelma Sapienza. He holds a Ph.D. in Public International Law and EU Law from the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Rome La Sapienza, with a dissertation on the horizontal effects of the European Convention on Human Rights. His research focuses on public international law, treaty interpretation, human rights law, and critical approaches to international law. He is a regular contributor to leading international law blogs, including posts for , , and , where he has written on human rights and the European Convention. Dr. Fedele was a visiting scholar at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 2022 and will hold the same position at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Strasbourg in May 2025. He is a member of the Research Centre for the Law of European Integration (ReCLEI) and serves as Managing Editor of "European Papers – A Journal of Law and Integration".

The event is part of the Sheffield Centre for International and European Law (SCIEL) Seminar Series and is generously co-sponsored by the International Law Association (ILA).