The Tallinn Manual consultations with states last week brought together thirty-five legal advisers from European, North and Latin American, African, Asian and Asia-Pacific states as well as delegates from NATO and the European Union.
“It is essential that states are able to provide input into the Tallinn 2.0 process. This is to ensure that the Manual accurately reflects current practice and legal positions,” said Professor Michael Schmitt, director of the Tallinn 2.0 project. He complimented the participants on the extent to which they were willing to offer assessments of the draft materials presented to them.
The consultation meeting on Tallinn 2.0 was held in the run-up to the Global Conference on CyberSpace 2015 with the assistance of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Minister Bert Koenders welcomed participants.
Tallinn 2.0 is the follow-on project to the successful Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare. It will expand the scope of the original Tallinn Manual to so-called peacetime international law and result in the second, expanded and updated, edition of the Tallinn Manual in 2016.
After this successful consultation, the Centre will continue to engage with states in the Tallinn 2.0 process on a no-attribution basis. This will enable states to openly communicate their national viewpoints and concerns for consideration by the International Group of Experts who shape the Tallinn 2.0 Manual. Furthermore, in late 2015, the Centre will hold a similar session with representatives of the private sector to hear their perspectives and concerns with respect to the application of international law to cyber operations. Such consultations with states and other stakeholders are designed to ensure the transparency of the Tallinn 2.0 process.