EPLO

History

The European Public Law Organization (EPLO) was created as an international organization with headquarters in Athens, Greece, with suitable governance, full international legal personality and status, upon the initiative of the Hellenic Republic, by the "Agreement for the Establishment and Statute of the European Public Law Organization", signed by several powers on 27 October 2004.

The creation of the EPLO became effective on 10 September 2007, upon receipt by the Depositary of notifications by three parties (Hellenic Republic, Republic of Italy and Republic of Cyprus) to the Statute that the formalities required by the national legislation of such parties with respect to this Statute had been accomplished. The signatory powers recognized the importance of public law and the need to further promote its scientific, research, educational, training, institution building and other dimensions for a better generation of lawyers and democratic institutions worldwide, and the promotion of European values through public law throughout the world. The "Agreement for the Establishment and Statute of the European Public Law Organization" remains open for adhesion by other powers. Seventeen countries have already ratified the International Treaty establishing the EPLO: Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France, Estonia, Serbia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Hungary, Portugal and the Republic of Bulgaria.

The European Public Law Organization is, at the same time, recognized for its various activities by the Hellenic Republic as a Greek national institution. The EPLO may also continue using the title European Public Law Center (EPLC) and does so especially when it opts to act as a Greek institution.

The European Public Law Organization is indeed the continuation of the European Public Law Center (EPLC), which was established in 1995 under the law of the Hellenic Republic as a Greek non-profit institution of international character, aiming to the study and research, pure and applied, as well as to the training in all areas of public law in Europe, including national, comparative and European law.

The EPLO has carried out extensive research activities in the direction of the creation of a European Public Law. It has organized and executed training programs, prepared studies, undertaken consulting activities, participated in international bodies and institutions of similar character and scope of activities. The EPLO has also aimed at promoting the rule of law and democracy in third countries, and has encouraged the study and application of law, democratic institution building, education and training. In over 20 years of activity, the EPLO has been involved in a variety of issues spanning from the interpretation and comparison of legal systems to the proposition of innovative solutions for institution building, education and environmental protection.

The EPLO has been actively present with its projects and activities in Europe, the Mediterranean Countries, the Balkan Area, the Caucasus and Former Soviet States, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, as well as Latin America and the Small Island Developing States.

The EPLO, has been granted the Observer Status at:

• The International Labor Organization (ILO), a UN agency in 2015
• WIPO- World Intellectual Property Organization, a self-funding agency of the United Nations in 2015 
• International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2016

Mission

The EPLO is an international organization dedicated to the creation and dissemination of knowledge in the area of Public Law lato sensu and Governance, including but not limited to, inter alia, national, comparative and European public law, human rights law and environmental law and the promotion of European values for a better generation of lawyers and democratic institutions worldwide.

The EPLO was established in 2007 in Athens, Greece, as the continuation of the European Public Law Center (EPLC), a non-profit institution of international character, established in 1995 under the Law of the Hellenic Republic. To this date, it has developed, organized, promoted and supported close to 200 educational, research, training, institution building and other activities and has provided assistance to democratic institutions in more than 70 countries. In order to accomplish its purposes, the EPLO promotes the cooperation with other institutions, organizations and bodies, in particular  the United Nations system, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the International Labor Organization.