Secretary-General

Secretary-General: Dr. Hab. Marcin Czepelak

Elected on 14 February 2022 by the PCA Administrative Council for the term of 5 years
(from 1 June 2022 until 31 May 2027)

 

Previous Position

  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (September 2017 – May 2022)
  • Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (September 2017 – May 2022)

 

Languages

Polish (native)                           English (fluent)                 French (fluent)

German (fluent)                       Dutch (good)                     Spanish (good)

 

Diplomatic Experience

  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) – Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland (September 2017 – May 2022)
  • Member of the Committee on the Election of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (2019 – 2020)
  • Chairman of the Working Group on the Rules of Procedure of The Hague Conference on Private International Law – HCCH (2018 – 2020)
  • UNGA First Committee (Disarmament and International Security – New York): co-leading the official delegation of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations General Assembly, First (Disarmament and International Security) and Sixth (Legal) in New York

 

Managerial Experience

  • Head of Mission – Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Business – Member and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board, ENION S.A. (2006 – 2008)
  • Public administration – Team Leader, Legal Information Unit and later Head, Urban Planning Department, Town Hall of Kraków (2003 – 2006)

 

Legal Experience: Private International Law

  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków – Law and Administration Faculty (since 2006); Assistant in the Chair of Private International Law (since 2006); Associate Professor in the Chair of Private International Law (since 2007)
  • Max-Planck Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht in Hamburg – Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law (2004 – 2005) – doctoral research year financed by the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund
  • Expert of the European Commission – member of the Group of Experts on the property consequences of marriage and other forms of union – “PRM-III”
  • Expert of the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament on the reform of the Brussels II Regulation
  • Expert of the Polish Parliament on the substantial reform of Part IV of the Polish Code of Civil Procedure (Rules on International Civil Procedure)
  • Speaker on courses for judges from the European Union organized by the Academy of European Law in Trier (ERA)
  • Author of 40 publications on international instruments from the field of private international law, party autonomy, international commercial litigation, and investment arbitration

 

Academic Career

Academic degrees awarded by the Law and Administration Faculty of the Jagiellonian University:

  • Doctor habilitatus (Dr hab. – habilitation) – (2016)
  • Doctor iuris (Dr – doctor of legal sciences) – (2006)
  • Magister iuris (Mgr – graduate diploma in law) – after completing five years of studies (2002)

Research projects and grants:

  • ‘International Law of Obligations of the European Union’, financed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2007 – 2010)
  • ‘Private International Law Aspects of Bilateral Investment Treaties’, financed by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (Max Planck Society) (2007)
  • ‘International Convention as a Source of Private International Law’, financed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2005 – 2007)
  • Short (i.e., at least two weeks) research stays abroad: Institut de Droit Comparé (Institute of Comparative Law) in Paris, University of Heidelberg, University of Cologne, University of Salzburg, Charles University in Prague, Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, University of Pécs, and University of Seville

Scholarships, fellowships & awards:

  • Bohdan Winiarski Scholar, Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge (2010)
  • EPS (European Judicial Review) Award for the most useful book in court proceedings (2013)
  • The Polish Prime Minister’s Award for the best doctoral thesis (2007)

Memberships:

  • Czech Yearbook of International Law – Editorial Board
  • ELTE Law Journal – Advisory Board

 

Select Bibliography

Books:

  • Autonomia woli w prawie prywatnym międzynarodowym Unii Europejskiej, [Party Autonomy in the Private International Law of the European Union], Poltext 2015, pp. 474
  • Międzynarodowe prawo zobowiązań Unii Europejskiej. Komentarz do rozporządzeń rzymskich, [International Law of Obligations of the European Union. Commentary to the Rome I and II Regulations], LexisNexis 2012, pp. 533
  • Umowa międzynarodowa jako źródło prawa prywatnego międzynarodowego, [International Convention as a Source of Private International Law], Wolters Kluwer Poland 2008, pp. 628 (English summary p. 513-521)
  • Stosunki majątkowe między małżonkami w prawie prywatnym międzynarodowym, [Matrimonial Property in Private International Law], Krakowskie Towarzystwo Edukacyjne 2004, pp. 128

Chapters in books:

  • The Application of the Rome I and Rome II Regulations in Poland, in: Rome I and Rome II in Practice, ed. E. Guinchard, Intersentia 2020, p. 445-464 (pp. 20)
  • Chapter 4: Weksle i czeki, [Bills of exchange, promissory notes, and cheques], in: System prawa handlowego, t. 4, Prawo instrumentów finansowych, [System of Commercial Law, vol. 4, Law of Financial Instruments], ed. Mirosław Stec, C.H. Beck 2016, p. 115-230 (pp. 116)

Articles:

  • Concurrent Causes of Action in the Rome I and II Regulations, Journal of Private International Law 2011, Vol. 7, No. 2, p. 393-410 (pp. 18)
  • The Experience Concerning the Application of Community Instruments in the Recent EU Member States, in: Latest Developments in EU Private International Law, eds. B. Campuzano Díaz, M. Czepelak, A. Rodriguez Benot, A. Rodriguez Vasquez, Intersentia 2011, p. 49-61 (pp. 13)
  • Contractual Choice of Forum in International Investment Arbitration, Czech Yearbook of International Law 2011, p. 47-72 (pp. 26)
  • Party Autonomy in European Private Law – the Attempt of Evaluation of Current Developments, in: Central and Eastern European Countries after and before the Accession, Vol. 2, Budapest 2011, p. 37-53 (pp. 17)
  • Would We Like to Have a European Code of Private International Law? European Review of Private Law 2010, vol. 18, No. 4, p. 705-728 (pp. 24)
  • The Law Applicable to the Contract of Carriage under the Rome I Regulation, Czech Yearbook of International Law 2010, p. 47-68, (pp. 22) – „Klauzule parasolowe” w dwustronnych umowach o ochronie inwestycji zagranicznych, [“Umbrella clauses” in bilateral investment treaties], ADR. Arbitraż i Mediacja 2009, vol. 1, p. 41-46 (pp. 6)

 

 

Secretaries-General 1900-2022

The following is a list of Secretaries-General who have served the PCA since its founding.

 

Baron R. Melvil van Lynden 1900-1901
Mr. L.H. Ruyssenaers 1901-1905
Baron L.P.M.H. Michiels van Verduynen 1905-1929
Dr. M.A. Crommelin 1929-1947
Jonkheer A.M. Snouck Hurgronje 1948-1951
Dr. A. Loudon 1951-1953
Prof. J.P.A. François 1954-1968
Baron E.O. van Boetzelaar 1968-1980
Mr. J. Varekamp 1981-1990
Mr. P.J.H. Jonkman 1990-1999
Mr. Tjaco T. van den Hout 1999-2008
Mr. Christiaan M.J. Kröner 2008-2011
Mr. Hugo H. Siblesz 2012-2022