Legal status of the Holy See full subject of international law. The Lateran Treaty itself seems to support this view. In article 2, Italy recognized "the sovereignty of the Holy See in the international domain as an attribute inherent in its nature, in accordance with its tradition and with the requirements of its mission in the world." For a further group, the legal personality of the Holy See in international law arises from the Lateran Treaty, which, in their view, conferred international standing to the central government of the Catholic Church. In this sense, Oppenheim argued that "the previously controversial international position of the Holy See
Holy See–European Union relations Holy See–European Union relations Holy See–European Union relations is the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the Holy See (or Vatican City). This is framed by the Holy See's geography (within an EU state capital) while being unable to join. According to the EU's Copenhagen criteria which define what states are eligible to join the EU, a candidate state must be a free market democracy. Given that the Holy See is an elective and polysinodyc monarchy, with only one major economic actor (the state itself) it does not meet the criteria. However, as it is so small, and surrounded