The RIEK Network will be organized as a federated academic network that brings together researchers and specialists affiliated with various universities and research centres. Membership in the Network will be personal in nature and will be based on academic trajectory and commitment to its scientific objectives.
Universities and research institutions shall participate as associated institutions through national or regional chapters, contributing to the development of academic activities and to the institutional projection of the Network. However, membership status shall pertain exclusively to natural persons.
The governance structure will seek to balance the scientific autonomy of its members with the institutional support necessary to ensure the stability and continuity of the Network.
The governance of the RIEK Network will be inspired by and governed by the following principles:
- Academic freedom, understood as the guarantee of scholarly independence in research, teaching, and debate.
- Epistemological pluralism, understood as the recognition of the legitimacy of diverse approaches within legal theory and legal philosophy.
- Scholarly cooperation, aimed at fostering joint and coordinated work among researchers, chapters, and associated institutions.
- Regional inclusion, intended to promote balanced representation across the Ibero-American sphere.
- Linguistic balance, aimed at promoting inclusive academic exchange in the languages of the Ibero-American sphere. The official languages of the Network are Spanish and Portuguese; the use of German and English is likewise recognized as languages of technical and bibliographical cooperation. The RIEK Network shall encourage the academic presence of other living languages of the Ibero-American sphere.
- Equality of representation and participation, with particular attention to generational and gender diversity.
The RIEK Network se encuentra en proceso de constitución formal como asociación conforme al derecho austríaco. Durante la fase preestatutaria, la coordinación operativa será ejercida por Gonzalo Villa Rosas en comunicación permanente con el Hans Kelsen-Institut (Viena) y la Hans-Kelsen-Forschungsstelle (Universidad de Friburgo). Las decisiones relativas a la futura asociación RIEK se adoptarán de común acuerdo entre los firmantes del documento de intención suscrito en la Reunión Inaugural celebrada el 4 de febrero de 2026 en Bogotá. Una vez formalizada como asociación conforme al derecho austríaco, la gobernanza de la RIEK será ejercida por tres órganos centrales: