As with probably most first books, this work is the result of my personal
and legal education. As such, many people have contributed to the fact
that this book has been written and that the foundations for writing it
have been laid. Among those, especially Prof. Dr Martin Nettesheim as
my doctoral advisor at the University of Tu¨ bingen has accompanied the
work on this book by his excellent supervision and great wisdom. His
encouragement has continuously incited and enriched the laborious
process of writing. I am equally grateful to Prof. em. Dr Dr h.c.
Wolfgang Graf Vitzthum, LLM, for his complaisant and rapid correction
of the text. Furthermore, I am indebted to Prof. Dr Ju¨ rgen Schwarze and
his entire team for providing me with an intellectual home at the
University of Freiburg for over two years. During this time, I not only
learned a lot about European and international law, but also benefited
hugely from the great atmosphere at his chair. I am also deeply obliged
to Prof. James Crawford, SC, FBA, for admitting my book to this book
series and for writing such an enlightening and kind foreword.