Von Werten zu Vetos
Die Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz (GWK) ist das Herzstück der föderalen Wissenschaftsfinanzierung – und zugleich ihre Achillesferse. Die GWK kann durch einzelne Länder leicht blockiert werden, wodurch gerade Nobelpreisschmieden wie die Max-Planck-Institute in Gefahr sind. Sollte die AfD künftig in einem Land die Regierung stellen, könnte sie diese Strukturen für weitreichende Blockaden der Wissenschaftsfinanzierung nutzen. Dies würde ihr auch ermöglichen, die Finanzierung von Hochschulen an politische Bedingungen zu knüpfen.
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Kreditaufnahme statt Konfiskation
Am 14. Januar 2026 veröffentlichte die Europäische Kommission eine Reihe von Legislativvorschlägen, um die Vergabe eines 90-Milliarden-Euro-Darlehens der EU an die Ukraine zu ermöglichen. Seit dem EU-Gipfel vom 18. Dezember 2025 steht fest, dass dieses Darlehen durch eine Kreditaufnahme der Union am Kapitalmarkt finanziert werden soll, nicht durch den Einsatz der russischen „frozen assets“. Diese Form der Finanzierung muss sich in den Rahmen des geltenden Primärrechts fügen. Aus europaverfassungsrechtlicher Perspektive spricht einiges dafür, die Kreditaufnahme im Eigenmittelbeschluss der Union zu verankern.
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Capital Punishment Revivalism
Israel has long been considered abolitionist, having executed only one individual in its history. While past attempts to reinstate the death penalty have proven unsuccessful, the horrendous scale of the October 7 attack and the ensuing traumatic war have been used to generate political momentum. A new bill, which passed its first reading in the Knesset in November 2025, would impose the death penalty for terrorism-related offenses. The bill should be understood as part of a broader capital punishment revivalism trend in populist regimes, with Israel potentially setting a dangerous precedent for attempts to reinstate the death penalty in Europe and beyond.
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Between Scylla and Charybdis
Can a national constitution guaranteeing public higher education allow private foreign universities? The Greek Council of State said yes, opening the way for the coexistence between public and private educational institutions. Even though the Council inappropriately resorted to an EU-conforming interpretation against the Constitution's wording and refused to request a preliminary ruling from the EU Court of Justice, its judgment is a prime example of “multilevel constitutionalism”.
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Indigenous Self‑Determination and Greenland
Greenland’s predominantly Inuit population is recognized as an Indigenous People with a corresponding right to self‑determination under international law. Any external attempt to alter Greenland’s sovereignty – including annexation by the United States – would violate that right and therefore cannot be lawful without the freely expressed will of the Greenlandic people.
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Accession by Algorithm
For over twenty years, the EU has viewed Albania as a potential accession candidate. Albania has since applied, undergone reviews, and obtained candidate status, yet core reforms have lagged amid political polarization and persistent corruption. Against this backdrop, the government has, since 2023, turned to AI – using it to translate and consolidate legislation, screen procurement opportunities, and even assign a system to a cabinet-level role. While these initiatives promise efficiency, transparency, and participation, they risk treating symptoms rather than the deeper ethical and institutional reforms required for EU acquis alignment.
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Independence as Immunity
The Italian Data Protection Authority, a cornerstone in the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation, is currently at the centre of an unprecedented judicial crisis. Recent searches by the police have involved the entire Board – including the President – on grave allegations of embezzlement and corruption. The scandal exposes a structural vulnerability in the European governance model for data protection: the independence of DPAs risks degenerating into immunity if it is not balanced by a robust and proactive system of external accountability.
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Accommodation at Any Cost
The OECD opened 2026 with a new deal on the “way forward on [the] global minimum tax package”. The new ‘side-by-side arrangement’ legalises this exceptional position for US companies. The EU has implemented the initial global minimum tax through a Directive, and Member States have implemented the rules domestically. I believe that the amendments to that legislation through the side-by-side deal highlight democratic deficiencies by delegating the formulation of tax norms to international forums.
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Racialized, but Equal?
The Danish housing law is an instructive example of what has long been described as the racialisation of poverty. Racialised groups are disproportionately represented among those living in poverty in Europe, due to historical and structural inequalities, while poverty itself becomes associated with these groups and framed as an individual or cultural failing rather than systemic injustice. While extensively analysed in sociology and critical race theory, the racialisation of poverty remains strikingly undertheorised in law.
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Reforming the Italian “Magistracy”
On 30th October 2025, the Italian Parliament approved a constitutional amendment that will be put to a referendum in March 2026. A brainchild of the Meloni government, the reform redesigns the constitutional framework governing Italy’s judicial system. Among other changes, it separates previously unified career paths for prosecutors and judges, and introduces a mechanism of appointment by sortition for members of all these bodies. Read in its historical and political context, we argue, the reform problematically weakens the third branch of the Italian system of government.
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CURRENT DEBATES
Wem gehört die Wissenschaft?
Wem gehört die Wissenschaft – und wem sollte sie gehören? Obwohl Wissen als öffentliches Gut prinzipiell unbegrenzt teilbar ist, wird der Zugang zu wissenschaftlichen Publikationen und Infrastrukturen durch ökonomische und rechtliche Strukturen beschränkt. Zwischen kommerziellen Verlagsmodellen, staatlicher Finanzierung und Community-getragenen Open-Access-Initiativen stellen sich grundlegende Fragen nach Eigentum, Verantwortung und Unabhängigkeit wissenschaftlicher Arbeit. Das Blog-Symposium „Wem gehört die Wissenschaft?“ greift diese Frage auf und beleuchtet Facetten der Organisation von Wissenschaft als Gemeingut, der Eigentums- und Machtverhältnisse im Publikationssystem und der Bedingungen offener und freier Wissensproduktion.
Read all articles >>In Good Faith: Freedom of Religion under Article 10 of the EU Charter
Freedom of religion, its interaction with the prohibition of discrimination, and the self-determination of churches are embedded in a complex national and European constitutional framework and remain as pertinent and contested as ever. This symposium examines the latest significant developments from an EU perspective, placing freedom of religion at the centre of analysis and critically assessing its operationalisation and interpretation in light of the EU Charter. Co-edited by Jakob Gašperin Wischhoff and Till Stadtbäumer.
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Volume 7,Issue 2
July 2025
JUS COGENS
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Killing Hitler Word by Word: The Oath as Apocalyptic Lawmaking
GREGOR NOLL
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Adjudicating Climate Protest as a Tool of Modern Republicanism
DMITRII KUZNETSOV
OUR LATEST PUBLICATION
Friedrich Zillessen, Anna-Mira Brandau & Lennart Laude (Hrsg.)
Das Justiz-Projekt. Verwundbarkeit und Resilienz der dritten Gewalt
Weltweit gerät die unabhängige Justiz unter den Druck des autoritären Populismus. Wie verwundbar ist die rechtsprechende Gewalt in Deutschland? In rund 70 Recherchegesprächen hat das Justiz-Projekt gemeinsam mit Expertinnen und Experten aus der Praxis Einfallstore identifiziert und Szenarien entwickelt, die plastisch machen, wie und wo die Justiz angegriffen werden kann. Antizipation beginnt jetzt.
PROJECTS
VB Security and Crime
In cooperation with:
VB Security and Crime is a cooperation of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) and the Verfassungsblog in the areas of public security law and criminal law. The MPI-CSL Institute is a member of the Max Planck Law network.
Das Justiz-Projekt
Weltweit gerät die unabhängige und unparteiische Justiz unter den Druck des autoritären Populismus.
Wie verwundbar ist die rechtsprechende Gewalt in Deutschland – im Bund und in den Ländern?
VB Security and Crime
In cooperation with:
VB Security and Crime is a cooperation of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL) and the Verfassungsblog in the areas of public security law and criminal law. The MPI-CSL Institute is a member of the Max Planck Law network.
EDITORIAL
„Die NATO wäre tot“
Alles andere als eine US-Kontrolle über Grönland sei „inakzeptabel“. Mit diesen Worten hat Donald Trump diese Woche Sorgen vor einer US-Annexion Grönlands weiter geschürt. Während europäische Regierungen Dänemark ihre Unterstützung und Solidarität versichern, ist schon jetzt eines klar: Sollten die USA Grönland tatsächlich annektieren, wäre nichts mehr wie zuvor. Wir haben mit Marko Milanović darüber gesprochen, wie das Völkerrecht auf ein solches Szenario reagieren könnte – und was eine Annexion
Continue reading >>“NATO Would Be Dead”
“Anything less” than U.S. control of Greenland is “unacceptable.” With those words this week, President Donald Trump reignited fears that a U.S. annexation of Greenland could move from rhetoric to reality. As European governments move to reassure Denmark of their support and solidarity, one thing is already clear: if the Greenland annexation scenario were to materialize, nothing would be the same again. We spoke with Marko Milanović about how international
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