The RIEK emerged in 2025 from the convergence of various academic initiatives devoted to the study of Hans Kelsen’s thought, particularly those related to the project to produce a Spanish translation of the book Hans Kelsen: Biographie eines Rechtswissenschaftlersby Thomas Olechowski. In this context, academic dialogue between researchers from Latin America and Europe highlighted the opportunity to establish a stable collaborative network.
The initial proposal for institutional structuring and for the drafting of a set of statutes was formulated in May 2025 on the basis of an academic initiative promoted by Gonzalo Villa Rosas, and was subsequently developed, from September 2025 onward, through dialogue with colleagues from the Hans Kelsen-Institut (Vienna), as well as with specialists from the European and Latin American academic communities devoted to the Kelsenian tradition.
A decisive milestone in the consolidation process of the Network was the holding of the First RIEK Conference in 2026, which took place in Bogotá and Medellín, together with the Network’s Inaugural Meeting, during which the foundations of its institutional configuration and international orientation were presented.
Since then, the RIEK Network has constituted itself as a cooperative academic forum aimed at strengthening scholarly connections between Latin America and Europe with regard to Hans Kelsen’s thought and to the other representatives of the Vienna School of Legal Theory.