08 November 2021
Wahlkampf ohne Diskurs?
In Brüssel wird zur Stunde über den Digital Services Act (DSA) verhandelt. Diskutiert werden dürfte dabei auch über politisches Microtargeting, eine Technik, bei der Daten der Plattformnutzer:innen ausgewertet werden, um personalisierte Werbung entlang ihrer Vorlieben und Interessen zu schalten. Artikel 24 des Entwurfes zum DSA sieht vor, Nutzer:innen zukünftig durch Transparenzvorschriften auf die Verwendung dieser Methode aufmerksam zu machen. Aber was ist das Problem an politischem Microtargeting? Kritiker:innen befürchten durch die Nutzung der Technik demokratiefeindliche Effekte, wie den Ausschluss von Bürger:innen vom gesamtgesellschaftlichen Diskurs bis hin zu ihrer Radikalisierung. Moralisch ist die Wahlkampftechnik umstritten, doch was sagt das Recht? Dieser Beitrag zeigt, dass PMT auch verfassungsrechtlich bedenklich sein könnte. Continue reading >>
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07 November 2021
Maßnahmen zur Terrorismusbekämpfung als Mittel zur Migrationskontrolle
Seit den Anschlägen vom 11. September ist der öffentliche Diskurs [...] Continue reading >>
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05 November 2021
Value Judgments
On 26 October 2021, the Bulgarian Constitutional Court issued a binding interpretative decision on the definition of the concept of “sex”. The Court held that “sex” can only have a binary biological meaning. Instead of engaging in a legal debate in relation to the discussed matter, the Constitutional Court chose to interpret the law through “values established in the society” that are derived from “other normative systems, such as religion, morality and custom”. The result is a judgment which not only neglects the rights and freedoms of transgender people, but also relies on a reasoning that could undermine women’s rights. Continue reading >>
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A Portrait of Bolsonaro’s Crimes Against Humanity
On 26 October 2021, after six months of investigative procedures, a legislative inquiry committee in the Brazilian Senate presented a report charging President Jair Bolsonaro (along with some of his most committed supporters) not only with impeachable conducts, but also with ordinary crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Although it is unlikely that the committee’s report will trigger impeachment or lead to a criminal indictment of Bolsonaro before the end of his term, it has already played a fundamental truth-finding role. Continue reading >>
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The Continental Voice
The recent coup in Sudan is the fourth completed military takeover on the African continent in 2021, after Mali (May), Chad (May), and Guinea (September). This is a blow not only to the democratic aspirations in these countries, but also to the African Union (AU), which has invested a lot of prestige in – and received a lot of praise for – its zero-tolerance approach to coups. Continue reading >>
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04 November 2021
Yellow Light for Disciplining Inconvenient Judges?
The case of the disciplinary proceedings against the Bulgarian judge Miroslava Todorova (Requête no 40072/13) which has recently been examined by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) caught the eye of those following the rule of law decay in the European Union. On the surface, it appears that the recent ECtHR judgment on Todorova’s case is a mere example of the ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ legal maxim – after all, the application was submitted in 2013 and the Court ruled against Bulgaria only in 2021. However, a closer look reveals that the ECtHR found in favor of Bulgaria on the two most worrisome questions. Continue reading >>
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A More Complex Union
Based on the new legal history of European integration that has come out over the last decade, I will offer a different interpretation of the role of law in the EU than the one typically offered by legal scholarship. The central conclusion is that there is an unresolved tension in the relationship between law and politics in the EU that will most likely shape the Union’s response to the Polish crisis. To conclude, I will offer several alternative scenarios of how the EU may react to the Polish crisis. Continue reading >>Editorial: Can a Pandemic Law-Making Exercise Promote Global Health Justice?
Amid the unfolding „moral catastrophe“ of COVID-19, and across the entries in this symposium, we see a clamor for any pandemic law-making exercise to promote more justice in global health. However, this universally-embraced imperative masks a wide array of divergent views about the nature and sources of inequalities in global health, and in turn what should be done if we were to think beyond a narrow pragmatism of the moment. Continue reading >>
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Who monitors compliance with fundamental values in EU Member States?
In 2014, the European Commission created a framework for the rule of law and the European Parliament has repeatedly proposed to extend this procedure to an Annual Monitoring Cycle on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights. The insistence with which this proposal is formulated is intriguing because a similar procedure already existed in the Council of Europe for almost 30 years, under the responsibility of the Parliamentary Assembly. What are the political interests and practical considerations that underly what at first glance looks like a competition between the two European organizations? Continue reading >>
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Webinar: Can a ‘Pandemic Treaty’ Promote Global Health Justice?
This final webinar of the 'International Pandemic Lawmaking: Conceptual and Practical Issues' Symposium will bring together leading scholars to critically discuss cross-cutting themes of the Symposium, and key points of contention and recommendation for the future of global pandemic governance. Continue reading >>
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03 November 2021
A(nother) lost opportunity?
The October meeting of the European Council (EUCO) was its first occasion to react to the declaration by the Polish “Constitutional Tribunal” that several provisions of the Treaty on European Union are incompatible with Poland’s Constitution and consequently inapplicable to the country. The express denunciation of fundamental provisions of EU primary law by one of its members (with the support of another), while insisting on his country remaining part of the Union, is a situation the EUCO could hardly overlook. And yet, not a word about the unfolding constitutional crisis was included in the EUCO Conclusions. Various elements may explain the restraint. However, the complete muteness from the EU crisis-manager-in-chief is more questionable and may carry a disquieting message. Continue reading >>
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Exclusion from the EU is Possible as a Last Resort
On 7 October 2021, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal issued a decision that can only be compared to setting off a bomb. Only integrationist dream-walkers could take the position that there is no legal possibility to withdraw the status of EU membership from an EU member state that permanently disregards the conditions of membership. Continue reading >>
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Wir bleiben bis ihr handelt?
Unter dem Motto „Wir bleiben bis Ihr handelt“ veranstalten Fridays for Future bundesweit Klimacamps, deren dauerhafte Präsenz im öffentlichen Raum auf die Dringlichkeit der Klimakrise hinweisen soll. Schwierigkeiten bereiten den Camps nicht die extremen Wetterbedingungen im Winter, sondern Behörden und Gerichte. Gut vier Jahre nach einer intensiven Auseinandersetzung um das Verfahren zum G-20-Protestcamp 2017 in Hamburg ist die Frage, ob und inwieweit die Versammlungsinfrastrukturen von Art. 8 GG geschützt sind, rund um die Klimacamps erneut entbrannt. Continue reading >>
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02 November 2021
Fischen im Trüben
Der Post-Brexit-Fischereistreit zwischen London und Paris will nicht enden: Erst im Mai dieses Jahres standen sich vor der Kanalinsel Jersey französische und britische Kriegsschiffe gegenüber. Nach der Festsetzung eines britischen Fischerbootes in der Hafenstadt Le Havre am vergangenen Donnerstag droht der Konflikt nun abermals zu eskalieren. Kern des Streits sind Unstimmigkeiten über die Ausstellungen von Fischfanglizenzen für britische Gewässer zwischen sechs und zwölf Seemeilen vor der Küste. Das beiderseitige Säbelrasseln über die Zugangslizenzen überdeckt die Tatsache, dass es sich letztlich um eine bürokratische Einzelfrage handelt. Diese gilt es nun zu klären. Continue reading >>
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No Surrender to Poland
Last week, a district court in Norway took a bold step and refused surrender to Poland due to the “significant greater danger and probability” that a Polish court would not be a lawful judge. In the European battle over the independence of Polish courts, surrender of wanted persons according to the European Arrest Warrant has been a minor but important front. The Vestfold district court's ruling should be welcomed and also invites the Norwegian Supreme Court and the CJEU to change their jurisprudence on surrender to Poland. Continue reading >>The Covid-19 Pandemic, the Failure of the Binary PHEIC Declaration System, and the Need for Reform
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised unprecedented challenges for the global health framework and its long-term consequences are not yet in full sight. The alarm mechanism based on the declaration of Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), in particular, has been severely tested. As underlined by some scholars, a reform of the PHEIC’s mechanism would not solve the core issues of the alert and response system behind the IHRs, that do have mainly a political dimension. Continue reading >>
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Ein Ausschluss aus der EU ist als Ultima-Ratio-Maßnahme möglich
Am 7. Oktober 2021 hat das polnische Verfassungsgericht eine Entscheidung erlassen, die sich nur mit dem Zünden einer Bombe vergleichen lässt. Nur integrationspolitische Traumwandler könnten die Position zu vertreten, dass es keine rechtliche Möglichkeit gibt, einen EU-Mitgliedstaat, der die Mitgliedschaftsbedingungen dauerhaft missachtet, den Status zu entziehen. Continue reading >>Grinding the Orange Axe
On October 18th, 2021, the Venice Commission adopted its opinion on the Dutch childcare benefit scandal and highlighted, albeit reluctantly, several shortcomings regarding the Netherlands’ adherence to the rule of law: A lack of parliamentary scrutiny, a disrupted flow of information in bureaucratic bodies and the need for constitutional review. Despite the opinion’s inherent potential to provide a thorough substantive addition to the rule of law conversation, it fails at doing so due to its evasiveness and its hesitance to address complicated Dutch customs, such as the current caretaker cabinet. Continue reading >>
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Schufa und die DSGVO
Durch einen Vorlagebeschluss des BG Wiesbaden hat der EuGH Gelegenheit, datenschutzrechtliche Anforderungen an das Scoring zu konkretisieren und zugleich auch Stellung zu nehmen zu der Frage, inwieweit dem nationalen Gesetzgeber unter der DSGVO im Bereich des Scoring überhaupt ein Gestaltungsspielraum – für § 31 BDSG – verbleibt. Continue reading >>
01 November 2021
Struggling for Democratic Elections
Ahead of the elections on 7 November 2021, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States sends a final warning to Nicaragua. On 20 October, it adopted resolution 1182 and clarified that holding elections is not enough if these elections violate democratic principles. The OAS – like other regional organizations – faces persisting challenges when addressing member states that systematically disregard their core obligations in the fields of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. And yet, it is in a position to make a difference in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nicaragua. Continue reading >>Journalistic Independence, the BBC and the Government of the Day
The structures that preserve the independence of journalism from the power of the UK state seem to be under assault. The government of the day has the power to appoint people to the board that oversees the BBC. The problem, to express it in more abstract terms, relates to the extent to which private institutions that perform public functions should be the focus of public and constitutional law. Continue reading >>
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Why are you on Facebook?
In a recent draft decision of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner to other European Data Protection Authorities, the Irish Commissioner addressed whether or not Facebook could rely on the contractual legal basis for certain purposes of its personal data processing, including for behavioral advertising. According to the Commissioner, “a reasonable user would be well-informed […] that [personalized advertising] is the very nature of the service being offered by Facebook and contained within the contract”. Based on this interpretation, it appears that Facebook’s users are on the social network not to connect with their friends and family but rather to receive personalized advertising. Continue reading >>
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31 October 2021
From Charity to Justice in the Pandemic
Waiving intellectual property rights is not a panacea in the current pandemic, but it may remove obstacles and, importantly, would send the right message. Germany should therefore change its position and support a decision in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to that effect. Donations are good and necessary in the short-term, but they must not be mistaken for acts justice in international relations. Continue reading >>
29 October 2021
Warum das Zwangsgeld gegen Polen die Glaubwürdigkeit der EU stärken wird
Am 27. Oktober 2021 verhängte der EuGH ein Strafgeld in Höhe von 1 Million Euro pro Tag gegen Polen, weil sich der Staat bisher konsequent geweigert hatte, die einstweiligen Anordnungen im Rahmen des jüngsten Vertragsverletzungsverfahrens zu befolgen. Dass die EU zu diesem drastischen Mittel greift, verleiht ihr im zähen Ringen um wirksame Maßnahmen gegen Polen Glaubwürdigkeit und könnte langfristig eine Abkehr von politisch ausgehandelten Sanktionen einläuten. Continue reading >>
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The Deadly Woods
Since August 2021, hundreds of people have attempted, and many have succeeded, to irregularly cross the border from Belarus to Poland. In retaliation, they are pushed back to Belarus by Polish authorities and then forced to cross back to Poland by Belarusian authorities. Forced to repeatedly wander in minus temperatures through thick woods, many persons have been seriously injured and at least several have died. As of the end of October 2021, there are two parallel frameworks legalizing pushbacks in Poland. Continue reading >>
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Die Rückkehr „positiver Komplementarität“
Der (neue) Chefankläger des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs (IStGH), Karim A. A. Khan Q.C., hat gestern die Einstellung der (jahrelangen) Vorermittlungen (preliminary examination) zu Kolumbien angekündigt. Mit der Einstellung haucht der neue Chefankläger des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs dem in Vergessenheit geratenen Konzept „positiver Komplementarität“ neues Leben ein und lässt eine strategische Neuausrichtung erkennen. Continue reading >>
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28 October 2021
Pandemics without Borders?
Any future international treaty or instrument on pandemic preparedness and response should refrain from further perpetuating an understanding of international borders that is primarily based on considerations of territoriality – rather, it should ensure that borders are no longer a constitutive element determining the international community’s effort of fighting the spread of dangerous diseases. Continue reading >>
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Die andere Rechtsstaatlichkeitskrise
An der polnisch-belarussischen Grenze spielt sich ein Drama der Rechtsmissachtung ab, inzwischen mit mehreren Toten. Es ist dies die andere, leisere Rechtsstaatlichkeitskrise: die des entgegen klarer Vorgaben des Unionsrechts verweigerten Zugangs zu einem Asylverfahren; die der wiederholten Missachtung von einstweiligen Anordnungen des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte (EGMR). Continue reading >>
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27 October 2021
This Was Not Just Another Ultra Vires Judgment!
A few days ago, 27 retired judges of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal have issued a statement concerning the judgment K 3/21 of 7 October 2021. We are both among its signatories. With this article, we hope to contribute to the clarification of the false statements contained in that judgment, its oral explanations and statements of representatives of political authorities, regarding the difficult matters of coexistence of Polish law and European Union law. Continue reading >>
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26 October 2021
Towards Member-driven International Pandemic Lawmaking
The COVID-19 pandemic has blatantly exposed the flaws of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Health Regulations (IHR) in addressing cross-border communicable diseases. We argue that the IHR is ill-designed: its rules and mechanisms are disproportionately tied to the Director General’s (DG) exercise of power, rendering insufficient member access to and participation in core decision-making and greater tendency of regulatory capture. Continue reading >>
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Blockierte Mehrheit
Über den Bundesrat wird die Union die künftige Ampel-Koalition zu zahlreichen Kompromissen zwingen können. Es droht eine Politik des kleinsten gemeinsamen Nenners. Hinter der Vetomacht im Bundesrat liegen zudem bedenkliche Unwuchten im Wählerstimmengewicht, die der Größenordnung von etwa 300 Überhangmandaten entsprechen. Damit sich das neue Vielparteiensystem nicht selbst blockiert und demokratische Prinzipien verletzt werden, muss der Bundesrat reformiert werden. Continue reading >>Why don’t they just stop stopping the internet?
We cannot trust the Indian state to forego the easy option for the right option. And that’s why we need transparency and accountability on internet shutdowns. The Supreme Court recognised this when it ordered that all internet suspension orders must be made available widely, to enable affected citizens to challenge these orders in Court. In practice, the Supreme Court's orders have been ignored. Continue reading >>
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25 October 2021
Constitutional Review in Sight?
On 18 October, the Venice Commission published its first ever opinion on the Netherlands dealing with the Childcare Allowance Scandal. It includes a list of rather detailed recommendations for the legislator, the executive and the judicial branch, also pointing at the prohibition of constitutional review which is one of the hallmarks of the Dutch Constitution. While its conclusions are not groundbreaking, the opinion of the Venice Commission must be welcomed for highlighting the crucial connection between individual justice, proportionality and fundamental rights. Continue reading >>
22 October 2021
Epidemie ohne epidemische Lage
In der Gewissheit, bald von der Last des Amts befreit zu sein, macht sich jetzt auch der Bundesminister für Gesundheit locker. Der Bundestag solle die bis zum 25.11.2021 wirksame Feststellung einer „epidemischen Lage von nationaler Tragweite“ nicht mehr verlängern, genauer gesagt: ihr Fortbestehen nicht noch einmal feststellen. Wird also der 26.11.2021 zum Freedom Day? Continue reading >>
21 October 2021
The Right to Participation in Global Health Governance
Considering the unprecedented suffering caused by COVID-19, any future pandemic lawmaking should be informed by public consultations that prioritize hearing the experiences of people most affected by the crisis, and that facilitate their identifying the redress and reforms they want. Such a process will be critical to rebuilding trust in public institutions. Continue reading >>
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Gorillas im Arbeitskampf
Seit vielen Wochen schon befindet sich der Online-Express-Supermarkt Gorillas in Berlin im Konflikt mit seinen Beschäftigten über deren Arbeitsbedingungen; er wird deshalb regelmäßig bestreikt. Nachdem der Arbeitgeber lange versucht hatte, die Streiks auszusitzen, hat er nun (mehr als 300) fristlose Kündigungen ausgesprochen. Konnten sich die Streikenden auf ihr Streikrecht aus Art. 9 Abs. 3 GG berufen, oder haben sie mangels eines solchen Rechts ihre Vertragspflichten verletzt? Weil Gorillas zum großen Bereich der digitalen Plattformarbeit gehört, eignet sich der Fall gleichzeitig dazu, das Arbeitskampfrecht auf die Frage hin abzuklopfen, ob es für solche „modernen“ oder jedenfalls neuen Konstellationen von Erwerbsarbeit eigentlich gut konstruiert ist. Continue reading >>
20 October 2021
Die Zukunft der staatlichen Kreditaufnahme
Die großen Aufgaben, die auf die neue Bundesregierung und den neuen Bundestag zukommen, werden erhebliche Finanzmittel beanspruchen. Vor diesem Hintergrund stehen verschiedene Vorschläge zum künftigen Umgang mit der verfassungsrechtlichen Schuldenbremse im Raum. Wenn allerdings offen gefordert wird, die Notlagenklausel – gleichsam gelegentlich der Corona-Pandemie – heranzuziehen, um in massivem Umfang Finanzmittel für Zukunftsinvestitionen in eine Rücklage zu stellen, ist dies eine Aufforderung zum Verfassungsbruch. Continue reading >>
19 October 2021
A Shared Responsibility Model
Piecemeal and fragmented policymaking during Covid-19 underscored the need for an equity-focused global health agenda. Yet, most responses were nationally-focused, lacked global commitment and solidarity, failed to notify the WHO of novel outbreaks, and were non-compliant with its professional recommendations. Continue reading >>
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Webinar: Addressing Scientific Innovation through Pandemic Lawmaking
Amid contention that global governance was unprepared and incapacitated in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this November, a special session of the World Health Assembly will convene to discuss a potential international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response. As part of the "International Pandemic Lawmaking: Conceptual and Practical Issues" symposium which is publishing critical insights and recommendations for this potential pandemic treaty each day on Bill of Health and Verfassungsblog, this is the second webinar examines the issues, challenges and opportunities related to scientific innovation. Continue reading >>
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18 October 2021
Scientific Innovation in International Pandemic Lawmaking
More inclusive models for scientific data sharing at the international level clearly can and must be devised. Doing so will require stronger commitments by states, improved multilateral mechanisms, and legal rules that facilitate the fair allocation of fruits of scientific progress without influence from competing agendas. Continue reading >>
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Polizeiliches Befugnishopping
Im Rahmen einer Aktion gegen den Braunkohleabbau im Tagebau Garzweiler II am 1. Oktober 2021 wurden 22 Klimaaktivist* innen in Gewahrsam genommen, um ihre Identität festzustellen. Seit der "Lex Hambach" von 2018 ist dies in NRW bis zu 7 Tage lang möglich. Diese Maßnahme dient aber offenkundig nicht der Gefahrenabwehr, die hier als Rechtsgrundlage für den tagelangen Gewahrsam herangezogen wurde. Es drängt sich der Eindruck auf, es gehe realiter vielmehr um eine – illegale – polizeiliche Sanktion unbotmäßigen Verhaltens. Continue reading >>Rationalizing Supremacy
For many years, supremacy has been rationalized by the European Court of Justice and in the literature mainly with arguments relying on the effectiveness of EU law and on its necessity for resolving conflicts between Union law and the laws of the Member States. In light of the most recent supremacy-related decisions by constitutional courts in Poland and Germany, these rationalizations seem to have lost their persuasive power. Instead of relying on effectiveness or the equality of Member States, supremacy should be seen as being mainly grounded in the individual-centred non-discrimination standard anchored in Article 18 TFEU. Continue reading >>
15 October 2021
Babiš’s Media
Just before the parliamentary elections on October 8 - 9 2021, the Czech populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš banned a group of journalists from Czech and foreign media outlets from attending his press conference with Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán. It is telling of Babiš’s disregard for the rules of the democratic game. The erosion of freedom of press in Czechia continues, but the parliamentary election results might change the state of play. Continue reading >>
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Resolution No. 04/2021
of the Committee of Legal Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences of October 12, 2021 in regard to the ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal of October 7, 2021 Continue reading >>
14 October 2021
Investitionsschutz über Klimaschutz?
Der sogenannte Energiecharta-Vertrag (ECT) steht wegen seiner investorenfreundlichen Bestimmungen und der Bedrohung, die er für die Energiewende darstellt, bereits seit längerer Zeit in der Kritik. Immer mehr EU-Mitgliedstaaten, darunter etwa Frankreich und Spanien, erwägen einen Rücktritt vom ECT. Ein solcher Rücktritt ist völkerrechtlich möglich und klimapolitisch wünschenswert. Continue reading >>Addressing IP Barriers in the Context of a Pandemic Treaty
By relying on the private sector in the context of COVID-19, many countries are struggling to secure adequate personal protective equipment, testing kits, and, more importantly. life-saving vaccines. A radical paradigm shift is needed from a market-based paradigm to one that encourages more scientific collaboration transcending national, regional, and global levels. Continue reading >>
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Historische Zäsur für den Rechtsstaat
Die zweitägige mündliche Verhandlung zu den Klagen von Ungarn und Polen gegen den sog. „Rechtsstaatsmechanismus“ war eine Zäsur für den europäischen Rechtsstaat und die Geschichte Europas: Die gesamte Verhandlung stand im Schatten des jüngsten „Urteils“ des „polnischen Verfassungsgerichts“, das sich weigert, Entscheidungen des Europäischen Gerichtshofs umzusetzen. Noch nie hat Polen die Geltung der Grundsätze der Rechtsstaatlichkeit mit solcher Vehemenz und solchem Eigensinn bestritten, wie es im Verlauf dieser Verhandlung sichtbar wurde. Man konnte der Europäischen Union bei ihrem Zerriss zuschauen. Continue reading >>Aufforderung zum Rechtsbruch
Der BDS-Beschluss des Bundestags vom 17.05.2019 ist rechtmäßig und verletzt auch nicht die Grundrechte der Kläger. So urteilte am 7.10.2021 die Zweite Kammer des VG Berlin. Was dem VG Berlin nicht in den Blick geriet, war der eklatante Widerspruch zwischen der „bloßen Meinungsäußerung“ des Bundestags und dem, was die darin enthaltene Aufforderung zum Rechtsbruch bedeutete und bewirkte. Continue reading >>A Closing of Ranks
On 11 and 12 October the Court of Justice of the European Union sat in Full Court composition (a rarity) to hear Hungary’s and Poland’s challenge of the legality of the rule of law conditionality regulation. Its ruling will follow (hopefully shortly) the Advocate-General’s Opinion announced for 2 December 2021. It will most likely reconfirm that the Union legal order is based on clear and binding rule of law norms, and that these must, of legal necessity, apply across all EU policy fields, including the EU budget. It will be a judgment of great significance about the very nature and purpose of the EU. Continue reading >>
13 October 2021