ABSTRACT
The idea of effective legal protection in administrative law, while certainly at the heart of any given legal order and as such not alien to public international law as well, is nevertheless very difficult to grasp in the latter field. The conceptual problems one faces in attempting to approach the question are manifold, and it is no exaggeration to say that virtually every single word in the phrase ‘effective legal protection in administrative law’ raises a host of unresolved problems when applied to international law. For various reasons, international law very often defers the enforcement of international law by individuals to the domestic level, at least temporarily. The rule on the exhaustion of local remedies which applies in both diplomatic and human rights protection is the classic example of this. A rather unique meaning of international administrative law implies a territorial or spatial understanding. International organisations not only have become key players in international relations but also important employers.
