Formation and development of international customs law: periodisation issues

Abstract

This article considers and analyses the history of the origin and evolution of international customs law from ancient times up to the present and offers a perspective on its periodisation. The article covers the evolution of norms of international customs law from the norms of international courtesy, norms of international traditions, separate articles of bilateral peace and union international treaties, trade treatises and the first special agreements on customs tariffs before their fixation in the texts of multilateral international customs conventions, as well as the acts of international organisations. It analyses the contribution to the formation of a system of universal international customs law by the League of Nations, the World Customs Organization, the United Nations and other international organisations.