- Published: 04.04.2023.
IN MEMORIAM prof. dr. sc. Budislav Vukas
By virtue of his impressive international engagement, including his involvement in shaping numerous international treaties which to this day represent defining legal acts in certain areas, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, professor Vukas made an indelible contribution not only to the development of the public international law, but also to making Croatia a recognizable name in the international law field.
He was appointed judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg in 1996, and a Vice-President of the Tribunal from 2002 to 2005. Member of many prestigious expert bodies, including the Institute de Droit International in Geneva, he authored many books, monographies and papers on various legal topics, among others on the status of national minorities in international law.
In the capacity of an ad hoc judge professor Vukas participated in the proceedings launched by the Republic of Croatia before the International Court of Justice at the Hague, and was a member of the Arbitral Tribunal in the border dispute with the Republic of Slovenia.
Regardless of his prolific international career, professor Vukas was always available to provide expert advice and assistance to the Republic of Croatia on a range of relevant legal issues, since the early days of the Croatian independence. In 1990-ies he was the Chief Legal Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He selflessly shared his erudite legal knowledge and experience, which was imparted to many generations of law students who had the honour to attend his lectures.
Remembering his legacy, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs would like to express its profound gratitude to professor Vukas on his earnest and unreserved cooperation and expertise provided over the past thirty years, and to offer our deepest sympathies to his family.