Lex Specialis and Eurocentrism

Abstract This article aims to analyse the use of the lex specialis principle in the context of the studies on decentralising the Eurocentrism embedded in the European Union external action. It first describes the claims by the European Commission for the application of the lex specialis principle in the context of the International Law Commission and international courts. Afterwards, the paper focuses on the meaning of the lex specialis principle in the context of international responsibility, stressing the difference from the principle of speciality that characterises international organizations. Then, it shows how the different applications of the lex specialis principle to international organizations reveal the lack of a general conceptualisation of what international organizations are and, finally, it proposes a non-Eurocentric solution to the problems raised by the EU.