15 May 2024
The New Transgender Ruling in Czechia
In a recent decision in the case of N.G. (Pl. ÚS 52/23), the Czech Constitutional Court (CCC) addressed the pressing issue of trans persons’ rights, more specifically the requirements for legal gender reassignment, involving (often involuntary) sterilisation and castration. When compared to the earlier decision in T.H. (Pl. ÚS 2/20), the new ruling represents a major shift. In fact, the CCC changed its legal position by 180 degrees, giving preference to protecting individual rights over deferring to the legislator’s choices. Continue reading >>
0 
14 May 2024
Bend it like Britain?
After months of parliamentary ping-pong, the UK Parliament passed the “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act” in late April. Not even two weeks later, 66 persons were detained to be deported to Rwanda, and the FDA launched an unprecedented legal action before the High Court, claiming the Act conflicts with the Civil Service Code obligation to “uphold the rule of law and administration of justice.” By seeking to avoid the prohibition of refoulement, the Act undermines both core principles of the rule of law and disapplies fundamental human rights protections. This blog post discusses key provisions of the new Act, the concerns they raise and some remaining avenues for legal challenges. Continue reading >>Half-baked decision
Der Bundesgerichtshof hat kürzlich entschieden (BGH 1 StR 106/24), dass sein Begriffsverständnis zur „nicht geringen Menge“ im Betäubungsmittelgesetz (7,5 g THC) pauschal auf die wortgleiche Neuregelung im Konsumcannabisgesetz zu übertragen sei. Dies stellt eine nach Art. 103 Abs. 2 GG unzulässige Analogie dar und überschreitet damit die Grenze zulässiger Auslegung im Strafrecht. Denn eine nicht geringe Menge THC kann nicht mit einer nicht geringen Menge Cannabispflanzen, um deren Besitz es in der Entscheidung ging, gleichgesetzt werden. Continue reading >>
0
A “Me too” Movement in the Equestrian Arena?
“Never look a gift horse in the mouth” is a well-known saying, yet the proverb might recently have gained new meaning. Just before the recent World Cup finals in dressage and show jumping in Riyad, there were reports about horses with blue tongues in the dressage sport. These non-human athletes did not get enough air, presumably due to overly tight bridles and excessive pressure applied by their riders. Currently, animal protection is not sufficiently harmonized and enforced in the EU, but there are reasons to be hopeful. The EU should take the lead and require member States to implement comprehensive animal protection systems. Continue reading >>
0
Climate, Constitution and Party Politics
Recent developments in Scotland in relation to climate targets have presented interesting questions for both constitutional and climate law. After proudly announcing itself as a nation with world-leading targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and giving these legally binding status, now that it has been realised that the 2030 target will not be reached, that target has been abandoned. In turn, this has been the catalyst for the break-up of the two-party arrangement that supported the government and the resignation of the First Minister who faced losing a vote of confidence. Continue reading >>
0
13 May 2024
Challenges to Georgia’s EU Integration: Is the Georgian ‘Russian Law 2.0’ contrary to the Georgian Constitution?
The so-called Euro-Atlantic provisions have been inserted into the Georgian constitution in 2018 and aim “to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization“. The Georgian draft law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’, the so-called ‘Russian Law 2.0’, is likely to be contrary to those Euro-Atlantic provisions in the Georgian Constitution. Georgia has EU candidate status since late 2023. According to statements by EU representatives, the law is incompatible with Georgia’s EU aspirations. If the law is passed by Parliament, despite ongoing pro-Western protests in the streets of Tbilisi, it remains to be seen what the constitutional Court will make of it, and whether Russian influence can be contained by the Court, which is itself, under pro-Russian political influence. Continue reading >>The Autocratic Party-Structure of PiS
Political parties are the heart of every parliamentary democracy. This post aims to explore what categorises political party-structure as autocratic and postulates a reform of political parties in Poland as partially inspired by German legal solutions. Namely, the main executive body of the party must consist of at least three members elected no less frequently than every two years. Furthermore, all party members must be allowed to propose electoral candidates. Finally, decisions on party offices and electoral nominations must be carried out by a secret ballot. Continue reading >>
0
12 May 2024
Bertha Maria Júlia Lutz
Bertha Maria Júlia Lutz was an acknowledged scientist, a women’s rights activist, a politician, and a diplomat. Mostly known for being one of four women to sign the United Nations Charter in 1945 and assuring the inclusion of the rights of women in its preamble, she also played a vital role in attaining women’s suffrage in Brazil. Continue reading >>
0
10 May 2024
Doppelt hält besser
Der „Hüter der Verfassung“ muss besser behütet werden – darüber besteht in der aktuellen Debatte weitgehende Einigkeit. Der vorzugswürdige Lösungsweg besteht in einer intensivierten Einbindung des Bundesrats. Die Repräsentation der Länder sorgt für demokratische Legitimation des Gerichts und eignet sich als Ersatzventil für eine Richterwahl, die im Bundestag durch eine Sperrminorität blockiert wurde. Zudem ist die Einführung einer Zustimmungspflicht bei Änderungen am BVerfGG sachgerecht, um die Rechtsgrundlage des Verfassungsgerichts vor einer destruktiven Bundestagsmehrheit zu schützen. Continue reading >>Die Voraussetzungen fördern oder „How Democracies Survive“
Das Böckenförde-Diktum ist so ein Satz, auf den sich auch in unsicheren Zeiten viele einigen können. Statt sich in ständiger Reproduktion des „Böckenförde-Diktums“ und gekünstelter Neutralität auf der Stelle zu drehen und dabei allenfalls „midcult“ zu betreiben, sollten auch die Verantwortlichen im Bereich der Demokratieförderung diese Tiefe endlich ausschöpfen. Die Strukturentscheidungen des Grundgesetzes sind als Aufruf dafür zu verstehen. Continue reading >>Legalising Illegality
Following Russia’s on-going facilitation of migrants to the Finnish border since last fall, Finland’s newly formed right-wing coalition government has closed the eastern land border indefinitely on 4 April 2024. Worried that this step will not be enough to ensure national security, the government is finalising a Draft Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, currently under revision.The draft bill allows for pushbacks in violation of non-refoulement and openly admits a conflict with Finland’s human rights obligations, EU law and own constitutional system, which is unusual. The unprecedented nature of the proposed measures is particularly worrying given that the Act appears unlikely to effectively address the essentially political problem that “migrant instrumentalisation” poses. Continue reading >>09 May 2024
Not a Disaster, but a Missed Opportunity
Following lengthy negotiations within Germany’s coalition government, on 26 April 2024, the Bundestag passed an amendment to the Federal Climate Protection Act. One part of the amendment in particular has drawn sharp criticism from environmental NGOs, experts, and commentators: the abolition of annual, sector-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, which form the basis of the obligation for ministries to submit ‘immediate action programmes’ (Sofortprogramme). We argue that many critics overestimated the effectiveness of the Sofortprogramm mechanism, as enshrined in the original version of the KSG, in enforcing Germany's ambitious climate targets. Instead, we must realistically assess the potential, and limits, of institutional design to deliver ambitious climate policy. Continue reading >>
0
08 May 2024
Wie klage ich meinen Landrat weg?
In Thüringen finden am 26. Mai 2024 Kommunalwahlen statt. Vergangene Woche hat der Wahlausschuss des Landkreises Hildburghausen Tommy Frenck mit drei zu zwei Stimmen als Kandidaten zugelassen und damit vorläufig die nötige Verfassungstreue attestiert. Sollte der Rechtsextremist zum Landrat gewählt werden, steht den Wahlberechtigten ein bislang wenig beachteter Weg offen, um diese Einschätzung gerichtlich überprüfen zu lassen: In Thüringen kann jede*r Wahlberechtigte mit einer Wahlanfechtung als Quasi-Popularklage die Verletzung der Wählbarkeitsvoraussetzungen vor den Verwaltungsgerichten geltend machen. Continue reading >>07 May 2024
The Genre-Bending of Climate Litigation in India
In a widely acclaimed judgment, India recently saw its first climate ruling issued by the Supreme Court. The Court derived the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change from Article 21 and Article 14 of the Constitution. The ruling of the Supreme Court has been classified in this blog as an important step in connecting human rights and climate change. In this blog post, I offer another overarching route that cases connected to climate change in India have taken, which is genre-bending in that they use environmental litigation as the pathway to also address climate change. Continue reading >>Unboxing the EU Body for Ethical Standards
The creation of a dedicated EU Body for Ethical Standards carries the potential to mark a qualitative difference in the development of the EU ethics system as we know it. The contributions shows the strengths and looming pitfalls of the new Body. Continue reading >>
0
3½ Myths about EU law on Citizenship for Sale
The sale of national and European Union citizenship understandably remains highly controversial. It seems arbitrary, perhaps even abject, to grant nationality in exchange for a monetary investment, when most people must wait years and overcome considerable hurdles before they can naturalize. As evidenced by three recent posts on the Verfassungsblog by Joseph H.H. Weiler, Merijn Chamon, and Lorin-Johannes Wagner, this question continues to divide EU law scholars. It is also a question that is still plagued by several myths about how EU law and, relatedly, international law, apply to CBI practices. This post discusses 3½ such myths. Continue reading >>
0
The EU Association Agreement with Andorra and San Marino
On 26 April 2024, the European Commission put forward a proposal for the Council to conclude the Association Agreement (AA) between the European Union and Andorra and San Marino. The AA with Andorra and San Marino goes another step further and introduces in an unprecedented manner the supervision and jurisdiction of the European Commission and the Court of Justice (CJEU) in the context of an association agreement. Accordingly, the Union may now have fully exhausted its association competence when it comes to the depth of integration it may offer third countries. Continue reading >>
0
06 May 2024
Offene Flanken der Brandenburger Justiz
Die seit dem Beginn der Rechtsstaatskrise in Polen (2015) geführte Debatte über die unzureichende Resilienz der deutschen Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit steht mit zwei konkreten Entwürfen zur Änderung von Art. 93 und 94 GG auf der Zielgeraden. Zur Stärkung der Resilienz des Thüringer Verfassungsgerichtshofes hat das Thüringen-Projekt jüngst konkrete Vorschläge unterbreitet. Bislang nicht im Fokus der Debatte stand die Justiz in Brandenburg. Angesichts der Konsequenzen, die ein Erstarken solcher Kräfte hätte, besteht noch vor der Wahl Handlungsbedarf. Continue reading >>Unconstitutionality à l’Anglaise
After long and tortuous proceedings in Parliament, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 finally received Royal Assent on Thursday 25 April. There are so many problems with the Act and they are so fundamental that there has been speculation that the courts might refuse to apply some of the Act’s provisions. In this blogpost, I suggest that aside from the ‘hard-line’ approach of striking down or disapplying the statute in whole or in part, the courts also have a ‘soft-line’ option of declaring its unconstitutionality without denying its status as binding law. I explain how such an intervention might fit into the constitutional tradition of the UK and what may make it attractive in the case at hand. Continue reading >>
0
The Reform of the EU Fiscal Rules
The reform of European economic governance has been in the air for quite some time, but it was not until 2023 that the Commission put forward the most substantial development since the Maastricht Treaty. In April 2024, the European Parliament, along with the Council, approved all three legislative proposals. These measures strengthen European economic security by protecting the sustainability of the Union's debt. Without examining the legislations’ details, this blog post reveals a propensity within EU economic governance towards neo-protectionism of the EU’s financial interests. Continue reading >>
0
Eine vertane Chance, aber keine Katastrophe
Nach langen Verhandlungen innerhalb der Ampel-Koalition hat der Bundestag am 26. April 2024 eine Novelle des Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetzes (KSG) beschlossen. Teils harte Kritik von Umweltverbänden, Expert*innen und Kommentator*innen hat sich insbesondere an der Abschaffung der jahressscharfen Sektorziele als Grundlage für die gesetzliche Pflicht zur Vorlage von Sofortprogrammen entzündet. Wir argumentieren, dass viele Kritiker*innen die Wirksamkeit des alten KSG-Mechanismus für die Durchsetzung der ambitionierten deutschen Klimaziele überschätzen. Eine realistische Einschätzung der Möglichkeiten und Grenzen institutioneller Regelungen zur Durchsetzung ambitionierter Klimapolitik legt stattdessen nahe, dass mit der Novelle einerseits eine Reihe von graduellen und potentiell wirksamen Reformen eingeführt wurden, andererseits aber auch Chancen zur Verbesserung ungenutzt bleiben. Continue reading >>04 May 2024
Spionage im Europäischen Parlament?
Der Haftbefehl gegen Jian G., Mitarbeiter des AfD-Spitzenkandidaten Maximilian Krah, schlägt wenige Wochen vor der Europawahl politisch hohe Wellen. Wir zeigen in einer kurzen strafrechtlichen Einschätzung, dass eine Strafbarkeit von Jian G. naheliegt, sollte der bislang in der Presse dargelegte Verdacht zutreffen. Deutlich schwieriger ist momentan die Frage nach einer Strafbarkeit Maximilian Krahs wegen einer Beteiligung an einer geheimdienstlichen Agententätigkeit einzuschätzen. Nach der Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichtshofs kann § 99 StGB nur täterschaftlich begangen werden. Eine wohl eher in Betracht kommende Beihilfe durch Krah bliebe daher straffrei. Wir vertreten dementgegen die Ansicht, dass sich auch der Gehilfe eines geheimdienstlichen Agenten strafbar machen kann. Continue reading >>The Battle for Immunity
The International Law Commission is preparing to continue discussions on Draft Articles on the Immunity of State Officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction at its forthcoming 75th summer session. This article focuses on two issues: the scope of immunity and its exceptions. These issues, which are widely discussed internationally, are far from being resolved. In this state of flux, a common ground is needed to move forward, which I try to outline in this blog post. Continue reading >>
0
Alte Konservative, Neue Rechte – die AfD vor dem OVG Münster
Der Prozess zur Verdachtsfalleinstufung der AfD hat nun fünf Verhandlungstage hinter sich. Während die ersten Tage überwiegend von Anträgen geprägt waren, steht nun die inhaltliche Auseinandersetzung im Vordergrund. Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz hat dem OVG Münster mehrere tausend Belege für verfassungsfeindliche Tendenzen in der AfD vorgelegt. Es geht dabei überwiegend um Äußerungen von Funktions- und Mandatsträger:innen der Partei. Diskutiert wird aber auch über den Begriff des "Volkes" und das in diesem Zusammenhang von Maximilian Krah vorgestellte "Südtiroler Modell". Continue reading >>
0
Bitte keine Störung?
In den USA lässt sich momentan in Echtzeit beobachten, wie Universitäten zu Brennpunkten einer politischen Auseinandersetzung werden, in der es um grundlegende Fragen des demokratischen Zusammenlebens, des Umgangs mit politischen Konflikten und der Notwendigkeit unabhängiger Bildungsinstitutionen und kritischer Wissenschaft geht. Daher ist es ein Gebot intellektueller Aufrichtigkeit und politischer Verantwortung genauer hinzusehen – ein Gebot, dem sich deutsche Medien scheinbar immer weniger verpflichtet fühlen, wenn sie die ideologisch extreme Position reproduzieren, dass propalästinensische Proteste an sich bereits als Bedrohung anzusehen sind und die Repression daher gerechtfertigt sei. Continue reading >>03 May 2024
KI als neues Wahlkampfinstrument
KI-Systeme werden auch in Deutschland verstärkt zur Erzeugung von politischen Inhalten verwendet. Politische Parteien nutzen die Fähigkeiten Künstlicher Intelligenz, um unwahre Inhalte über den politischen Gegner zu generieren und zu verbreiten. Eine Überprüfung zeigt, dass die neue europäische Digitalregulierung nicht auf politische Sachverhalte zugeschnitten ist. Continue reading >>
0
Things That Are Different Are Not the Same
PimEyes ist zwar sicherheitsrechtlich bedenklich, stellt aber keine Form der Vorratsdatenspeicherung dar, wie es neulich auf dem Verfassungsblog hieß. Es handelt sich vielmehr um einen anlassbezogenen, strafprozessualen Zugriff auf private, unreguliert vorhandene Massendaten. Anhand der Rechtsprechung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts lässt sich allerdings schon jetzt in Grundzügen ableiten, welche Anforderungen der Gesetzgeber bei der noch zu schaffenden Ermächtigungsgrundlage für Software wie PimEyes wird beachten müssen. Continue reading >>Why Europe Needs a Harmonised Access to Information Act
May the 3rd marks press freedom day around the world. Today, many articles and editorials will be published across Europe, highlighting the need to put an end to threats faced by journalists in Member States. While all these pan-European threats certainly need to be tackled, one fundamental pan-European crisis faced by journalists across the continent remains widely ignored: the difficulties to access information held by public authorities and the disparities among Member States when requesting data. This article aims to review the current situation of the right to request information from public bodies in EU Member States and offers a proposal that opens the door to discussing the possibility of harmonising such a right through the internal market competence. Continue reading >>
0
A Human Right to Climate Protection as “Life-Saving Treatment”?
Manuela Niehaus defends the human rights-based climate jurisprudence - especially of the ECtHR - against my criticism. It is not "Homeophatic Globules for Environmental Lawyers", but a potentially life-saving medicine that - in combination with other means - can make a significant contribution to climate protection. Continue reading >>
0
The UK Parliament, the UK-Rwanda Agreement and the CPTPP
On April 1, 2024, the Ponsonby Rule, the constitutional convention that set the standard for Parliament’s role in how the UK makes treaties, turned 100. But the procedure for Parliament’s involvement in treaty-making is no longer fit for purpose. As the UK-Rwanda and CPTPPP Agreements show, the UK Parliament’s role in treaty-making must be reformed. In particular, the House of Commons must obtain the power to have a formal vote on international agreements before they can become binding on the UK. Continue reading >>02 May 2024
Scharfgestellte Staatsräson
Das Vorgehen deutscher Behörden gegen kritische Stimmen in Bezug auf die israelische Kampfführung im Gaza-Krieg sorgt für zunehmende Kritik. Insbesondere international häufen sich Presseberichte und besorgte Äußerungen über Einschränkungen der Meinungs- und Versammlungsfreiheit. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit kam dabei zuletzt den Maßnahmen zur Unterbindung des Palästina-Kongresses in Berlin zu. In der Sache erscheint das Vorgehen der Sicherheitsbehörden gegen den Palästina-Kongress und bestimmte Einzelpersonen als überzogen und unverhältnismäßig. Für ein rechtswidriges, vor allem grundrechtswidriges Vorgehen der Sicherheitsbehörden sprechen auch die behördlichen Maßnahmen gegen (aktive und passive) Teilnehmer der Veranstaltung, die auch im Nachgang – trotz Nachfrage – nicht plausibel erklärt worden sind. Continue reading >>China’s Memory Laws
The study of ‘memory laws’ has seen a spectacular rise in recent years as governments worldwide are reverting to formal legislation to shape and secure their preferred historical discourses and outlaw narratives subverting these. Despite the increasingly global nature of this phenomenon, this budding scholarly genre has remained largely preoccupied with developments in Europe. Until very recently, Chinese memory laws have been overlooked in these discussions. It is time to start paying attention to them. Continue reading >>
0
Why the Provisional Measures Order in Nicaragua v. Germany severely limits Germany’s ability to transfer arms to Israel
In an application before the International Court of Justice brought by Nicaragua against Germany, Nicaragua requested that the ICJ indicate provisional measures as a matter of extreme urgency with respect to Germany’s ‘participation in the ongoing plausible genocide and serious breaches of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of general international law occurring in the Gaza Strip’. While Nicaragua did not get any of the provisional measures requested, the request for provisional measures may nevertheless have achieved its aim of preventing Germany from providing arms to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip. Continue reading >>
0
Ten Commandments to Stifle Academic Freedom
Since 2010, the beginning of the populist takeover and the authoritarian transition, Hungary has gathered a lot of experience on how to dismantle academic freedom. This knowledge can be useful for other autocrats as well. But even if we don’t want to give them tips on how to repeat what happened and is happening in this country, it might still be worth reconstructing how it all took place. This can be especially useful for calculating what to expect from autocrats and preparing how to defend against them. Continue reading >>
0
01 May 2024
Nicaragua Comes Up Empty
On 30 April 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected a request by Nicaragua for the indication of provisional measures in connection with claims relating to Germany’s support for Israel in the ongoing Gaza conflict. In a terse, sparsely-reasoned decision, the Court decided 15-1 that the circumstances were ‘not such as to require the exercise of its power under Article 41 of the Statute to indicate provisional measures’. While this outcome was not necessarily surprising to those who had followed the proceedings, the Court’s approach—in which it declined to address the usual requirements for the indication of provisional measures—was unusual. Continue reading >>Globules or Life-Saving Treatment after all? On the Effect of Climate Lawsuits
In her response to the post by Bernhard Wegener, who criticizes climate lawsuits as ineffective globules, Manuela Niehaus illustrates the effect of climate lawsuits. She argues that not everything that tastes sweet is just ineffective homeopathy. Continue reading >>
0
30 April 2024
Kein Kniefall vorm Gericht
Eine klaffende Lücke im Rechtsschutzsystem der Bundesrepublik gäbe einer autoritär-populistischen Regierung die Möglichkeit, sich aus eigener Machtvollkommenheit über Gerichtsentscheidungen hinwegzusetzen – ohne nennenswerte Konsequenzen. Denn einer Regierung, die Urteile missachtet, setzen Gerichte kaum etwas entgegen. Deshalb soll das verwaltungsprozessuale Zwangsvollstreckungsrecht reformiert werden. Die geplanten Änderungen werden aber nicht für mehr Resilienz gegen exekutiven Ungehorsam sorgen. Continue reading >>Chaos, Verwirrung und republikanischer Kurswechsel
Das US-amerikanische Abtreibungsrecht ist schwer nachvollziehbar – für Schwangere, für Ärzt:innen, und auch für außenstehende Beobachter, die verstehen wollen, wie Abtreibung mit den Präsidentschaftswahlen 2024 verstrickt ist. Die Geschichte ist kompliziert, dynamisch und noch nicht vorbei. Eine Warnung in den Worten von Bette Davis: “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night”. Continue reading >>Ernährung am Existenzminimum
Ist das Bürgergeld verfassungswidrig, weil es keine gesunde Ernährung ermöglicht? Ernährungswissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse, die erst nach der letzten Entscheidung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts gewonnen wurden, sprechen dafür. Gesunde Ernährung kostet mehr, als bei der jetzigen Berechnung der Regelbedarfe für Ernährung berücksichtigt wird. Denn nach den aktuellen Zahlen der Europäischen Gemeinschaftsstatistik über Einkommen und Lebensbedingungen können sich 13 Prozent der Menschen in Deutschland nicht jeden zweiten Tag eine Mahlzeit mit Fleisch, Geflügel, Fisch oder einer vegetarischen Alternative leisten. Continue reading >>
0
29 April 2024
Chaos, Confusion and Republican Change-Up
Grasping the rules for getting an abortion in the American states is no easy matter for pregnant women, for abortion doctors, or for outside observers trying to understand how deeply entangled abortion is with the 2024 Presidential Election in November. The story is complicated, fast-moving, and not over yet. As Bette Davis warned her party guests, “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night”. Continue reading >>
0
Rebuilding the Rule of Law
The victory of the opposition in the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2023 followed by the formation of a coalition government paved the way for the rebuilding of the rule of law after a period of its systematic violation during the 8-year rule of PiS. The first four months of the new government have already shown that this process will not be easy. However, certain actions aimed at rebuilding the violated standards have already been taken. Three goals and values should be among the guiding principles in the process of rebuilding the rule of law in Poland: legalism, legal certainty, and building citizens' trust in public institutions. Continue reading >>
0
Das ist Kunst, das kommt weg
Auch ohne Beteiligung einer autoritären Partei an einer Regierung hat der sog. „Kulturkampf von Rechts“ längst begonnen und zeitigt Erfolge. Nicht nur in Thüringen oder in Deutschland, sondern auch international dient Kultur als Strategie der Polarisierung. Sie bietet ein besonders wirksames, oft unterschätztes Feld für Legitimationsnarrative, denn sie baut Legitimationsbrücken zwischen Rechtspopulismus und Neonazismus. Jetzt kommt erst die schlechte Nachricht: Eine autoritäre Regierung kann sich dabei die Kunstförderung spielend leicht zu Nutze machen Continue reading >>The Enemy Within
Naivety persists when it comes to understanding the scope of the hybrid war that Russia is currently waging against us, with the role played by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban being a good example. European diplomats, politicians and commentators continue to underestimate the security risk that he poses as Putin's willing puppet. As a result, they are right now sleepwalking into what will likely be a disastrous Hungarian EU Presidency, not only for the Union itself but also for Ukraine. Continue reading >>Overcoming Big Tech AI Merger Evasions: Innovating EU Competition Law through the AI Act
To develop AI, computing power and access to data (aka bigness) are crucial. Now, Big Tech companies appear evading EU competition law. Companies like Google and Microsoft evade the EU Merger Regulation by entering partnerships with smaller AI labs that fall short of shifting ownership but nevertheless increase the monopolistic power of Big Tech. These quasi-mergers are particularly problematic in the context of generative AI, which relies even more than many other services on incredibly vast computing power. That is a dire state from an economic as well as a more fundamental and democratic perspective, as concentrating economic might in the hands of very few companies may cause problems down the road. Continue reading >>27 April 2024
Karlsruhe hat die Wahl
Vom „Moin“ im Norden bis zum „Grüß Gott“ im Süden – wie viel flächendeckende Repräsentation erfordert das Wahlrecht? Am zweiten Tag der mündlichen Verhandlung zur Wahlrechtsreform ging es um genau diese Frage. Dem Zweiten Senat des BVerfG kommt nun die Aufgabe zu, die dem Gesetzgeber nicht gelungen ist: eine integrierende Entscheidung über das Wahlrecht im Konsens. Dabei lässt er sich kaum in die Karten schauen. Continue reading >>26 April 2024
Long Live Nottebohm
Next year, Nottebohm will be turning 70. Only very recently, Weiler, on this blog, made the point that the argument of a genuine link – underpinning the case of the Commission against the Maltese golden passport scheme – is unconvincing and rests on a “tendentious reading of Nottebohm”. Yet, in Commission v Malta, the CJEU may well reinvigorate a European debate about the genuine links that bind us. I, for once, would argue it is high time to make the point that nationality is not just anything a State makes of it. Continue reading >>Who is afraid of actio popularis?
If, as the German experience suggests, the actio popularis exclusion serves to bar individuals from invoking objective illegality that does not concern rights, while standing of associations is a way to enforce objective legality despite the actio popularis exclusion, it is hard to see why this should have any relevance for the European Convention of Human Rights. Human rights are, after all, rights.
Continue reading >>
0
25 April 2024
India’s New Constitutional Climate Right
The Supreme Court of India delivered a historic judgement on climate change and human rights in M.K. Ranjitsinh and Others v. Union of India and Others (hereinafter “M.K. Ranjitsinh”) on March 21, 2024. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice, D.Y. Chandrachud, formulated a new constitutional right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change by drawing upon Article 21 (the fundamental right to life and personal liberty) and Article 14 (the fundamental right to equality) of the Indian Constitution. The final judgement is a remarkable development for the evolution of constitutional climate litigation in India Continue reading >>
0
24 April 2024
The Ball is in the Game
In 2017 strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) became an important topic on the EU level. As a result, the EU adopted the anti-SLAPP Directive, which shall protect journalists from abusive lawsuits that do not serve justice but only the sinister aim of silencing free press. However, there is important litigation as well. In 2024 the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol vs Le Monde case addressed the problem of exorbitant damages targeting press and introducing a deterrent effect on freedom of speech in transnational cases. From a rule of law and, especially, freedom of the press angle, the case is of paramount importance as it forwards a simple but groundbreaking argument: two of EU law’s most fundamental principles, mutual recognition and freedom of speech, are a strong basis to fight SLAPPs. Continue reading >>
0
Rallying under a Nazi Swastika Flag
On April 5th, 2024, the Helsinki Court of Appeal held that rallying under a Nazi swastika flag constituted an offense of incitement to hatred, namely, agitation against a group of population. Contrary to German law, Finnish law does not include any specific prohibition of symbols of this kind. It therefore leaves it open under which circumstances the public use of symbols such as those linked with the Nazi regime in fact constitute a criminal offense. Against this background, the Court of Appeal’s conclusion is to be welcomed. Had the outcome been different, this would have triggered a set of difficult questions of how to amend the regulatory framework in order to address this issue. The judgment may, however, still be appealed. Continue reading >>
0