FLARE Index to Treaties Extended

Today I learnt that the FLARE Index to Treaties has been extended.

The FLARE index to treaties has been extended to cover a third more treaties and conventions than it did at its launch in March 2009.

The database now contains “2,000 of the most significant multilateral treaties concluded from 1353 onwards and a number of significant bilateral treaties signed between 1353 and 1815”.* It is fully searchable and indexed.

Access FLARE on the IALS website:

http://ials.sas.ac.uk/treatyindex.htm 

Read more about the extension project on LLRX.com:

*http://www.llrx.com/features/flareindexextended.htm

Treaty Definitions - The Difference Between Signature, Ratification and Accession

Today I learnt how it is possible for a State to "sign up" to a treaty without actually signing it. The answer: Accession! Apologies if this is common knowledge, but today I've learnt that Signature usually means that a State agrees to the text of a treaty, Ratification means a State consents to be bound by a treaty following Signature, and Accession means a State agrees to be bound by a treaty without going through the process of Signature and Ratification (e.g. if a State was not involved in the original treaty negotiations). This is something I have often wondered about and was forced to find out today when answering an enquiry from a lawyer. Of course I have oversimplified the definitions for the sake of this blog. In the future I will refer to the helpful glossary on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (link below) and when a lawyer next asks if a State has "signed up" to a particular treaty, I will be better equipped to answer.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/treaties/practice-procedures/glossary-treaty-terms