Rait Maruste

State of Emergency in Estonia

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic the Estonian Government (Vabariigi Valitsus), without consulting the parliament (Riigikogu), declared by Order Nr. 76 on 12 March 2020 a state of emergency (eriolukord), defining the epidemic as an “emergency situation”. This is the first time in our modern history where a state of emergency has been declared. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently informed the Council of Europe of the Estonian derogation under Article 15 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Continue reading >>

Ledi Bianku

Albania – Some Exceptional Extraordinary Measures

Albania was hit the by Covid-19 pandemic, although it seems not as gravely as some of its neighbours. Starting from 10 March 2020 the Albanian Government adopted several measures aiming to limit the spread of the pandemic in the country. Most of those measures have been continuously reviewed, following the development of the pandemic. Continue reading >>

Christoph Möllers

Sollte die EU-Kommission Deutschland wegen des Karlsruher Ultra-Vires-Urteils verklagen? CONTRA

Nehmen wir an, dass Bundesverfassungsgericht hätte mit seiner Feststellung eines Akts ultra vires durch EZB und EuGH europäisches Unionsrecht verletzt. Müsste ein solcher Rechtsbruch zwingend von einem Gericht überprüft und festgestellt werden? Natürlich nicht. Ein Vertragsverletzungsverfahren wäre mit Karl Kraus gesprochen Teil der Krankheit, für deren Therapie es sich hält. Continue reading >>

Ingolf Pernice

Sollte die EU-Kommission Deutschland wegen des Karlsruher Ultra-Vires-Urteils verklagen? PRO

Wenn die Kommission nicht mehr beantragt als die Klärung spezifischer Rechtsfragen, um dem Gerichtshof noch einmal Gelegenheit zu geben, Missverständnisse seiner eigenen im Urteil Weiss entwickelten Position auszuräumen, könnte das Ergebnis für alle hilfreich sein. Continue reading >>

Aleksandra Kustra-Rogatka

Between Constitutional Tragedy and Political Farce

One of the two basic genres of ancient drama is tragedy – fate thwarts all the intentions and actions of the main protagonist, leading him to his doom. In such terms does the governing coalition in Poland attempt to present what befell the presidential elections in Poland – just a few days before the elections, the leaders of the two coalition parties issued the decision that the elections would not take place on the planned and constitutional dates. Was it indeed the lack of cooperation from the opposition, despite the strenuous attempts and herculean efforts of the government, that made it necessary to postpone the elections? Continue reading >>

Tom Gerald Daly

Democracy and the Global Emergency – Shared Experiences, Starkly Uneven Impacts

Curating analysis of these developments since early April through the COVID-DEM project, and reading across the 62 published contributions to this outstanding symposium, there are clear commonalities across all democracies affected. Beyond these commonalities, the effect of the COVID-19 response on the democratic system has been – and will be – starkly uneven across democracies worldwide, due to the different democratic ‘starting point’ of each state as the pandemic hit. Continue reading >>

Marco Dani, Joana Mendes, Agustín José Menéndez, Michael Wilkinson, Harm Schepel, Edoardo Chiti

At the End of the Law

The recent judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court needs to be regarded from the perspective of political economy as it highlights that the status quo of the Eurozone is untenable. The merits of the Weiss judgment could be to open up a debate about the requirements of a genuine European Economic and Monetary Union in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Continue reading >>

Dániel Karsai

The Curious and Alarming Story of the City of Göd

Misusing its extraordinary law-making powers which were conferred to it by the controversial Enabling Act during the epidemic state of danger, the Hungarian government expropriated the city of Göd. Apparently the government did so in order to punish the opposition lead municipality - and it seems to prepare further expropriations. Continue reading >>

Eglè Dagilytė, Aušra Padskočimaitė, Aušra Vainorienė

Lithuania’s Response to COVID-19: Quarantine Through the Prism of Human Rights and the Rule of Law

The COVID-19 outbreak constitutes an unprecedented challenge in the history of independent Lithuania, which in its 1992 Constitution embedded a broad list of human rights and freedoms. It seems that so far the emergency powers have been used proportionately and in a time-limited manner, albeit some concerns regarding human rights and the rule of law remain. While it is understandable that the pandemic required a quick response, more attention from the Lithuanian decision-makers on fundamental rights and the required balancing would have been welcome. Continue reading >>

Allan Maleche, Nerima Were, Tara Imalingat

Excessive Law Enforcement in Kenya

Kenya's President is yet to declare a state of emergency and has opted to implement measures that ensure citizens can continue with their lives. Constitutionally, rights may only be limited by law and only to the extent that is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom. Continue reading >>

Ruiping Ye

Kill the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys

As the Chinese saying goes, killing the chickens to scare the monkeys, China’s courts were quick to set examples of people who committed offences in relation to the country’s response to Covid-19 in order to deter potential offenders. However, the punishments of ordinary offenders and responsible officials highlight China’s constitutional setting – the dominance of the Communist Party in state affairs, and the political role of courts in times of national emergency. This is consistent with China’s self-proclamation – the centrality of the Communist Party’s leadership and the division of functions among state organs without separation of powers. Under such a setting, ordinary people and officials are subject to different rules and have different fates. Continue reading >>

Francesco Palermo

Is there a space for federalism in times of emergency?

In many legal cultures, federalism is the real “F word”. It stands for inequality, privileges, inefficiency. For many, there seems to be an inherent contradiction between the obvious requirement of a coordinated line of command in case of emergency and a pluralistic territorial structure. A closer look at the comparative practice shows a different picture. Has federalism really been an obstacle to effective decision-making? Or rather the opposite? Continue reading >>

Akiko Ejima

Japan’s Soft State of Emergency: Social Pressure Instead of Legal Penalty

People have been perplexed by the slow and soft approach of the Japanese government in their attempt to bring COVID-19 under control. The first case of COVID-19 in Japan was confirmed on 16 January 2020. On 30 January, the Japanese government set up the COVID-19 Countermeasures Headquarters. It published emergency countermeasures against COVID-19 on 13 February and presented Basic Policies for Coronavirus Disease Control on 25 February. However, none of these measures have introduced drastic measures such as border controls and/or curfews. Continue reading >>

Karen Alter

Is it a Dance or is it Chicken?

I cut my teeth studying the German Constitutional Court’s relationship with the European Court of Justice. A recent article in the Financial Times used the metaphor of a dance to explain the GCC’s history of pushing back against the ECJ’s authority. In 2001, I called it a game of chicken. I don’t worry that playing chicken with the ECJ inevitably leads to European disintegration. The GCC’s ECB ruling is, however, the wrong decision issued at the wrong time. Economic policy-makers will and should ignore the ruling, and for this reason I expect the GCC to step back from the brink, once again. But harm is nonetheless being inflicted on a tottering global economy, a fragile European project, and a disintegrating popular support for the rule of law. Continue reading >>

Miguel Ángel Presno Linera

Beyond the State of Alarm: COVID-19 in Spain

The confinements imposed by the Spanish Government in response to the pandemic are among the most intense in comparative terms since they contain a prohibition of going out into the street with only limited exceptions. Given their intensity, especially the strong limits imposed on the freedom of movement, the restrictions are rather suspensions than mere restrictions of fundamental rights and as such go beyond their legal basis of the state of alarm. Continue reading >>

Daniel E. Walters

A Risky Gamble

There may never have been an idea whose time has so obviously come than mail-in voting in the COVID-19 era. However, a major risk confronting the nation as it scrambles at the last minute to move from primarily in-person to primarily mail-in is the risk of leaving logistical and legal details open to political manipulation in highly unpredictable fashion. Continue reading >>

Reinhard Mehring

Carl Schmitt und die Pandemie. Teil II

Angesichts häufiger Bezugnahmen Bezugnahmen auf Carl Schmitt im Kontext der Corona-Krise ist es sinnvoll, noch einmal genauer auf Schmitts Leben und Werk zu blicken. Hier sollen einige von Schmitts Kategorien für die Analyse der deutschen Corona-Politik adaptiert werden. Da die verfassungsrechtliche Bewertung der Corona-Politik noch aussteht und auch keineswegs einfach und eindeutig ist, ist die neuerliche Auseinandersetzung mit Schmitts Verfassungslehre im Kontext der Corona-Politik sinnvoll. Deren Kategorien können freilich die differenzierte dogmatische Beschreibung nicht ersetzen. Continue reading >>

Verfassungsblog

VB Live: “Schaffen wir das?” – COVID-19 as a Crisis for German Law and Politics

Session I of our discussion series on the COVID-19 crisis from a German, European and International Perspective, jointly organized by IFHV and Verfassungsblog - streamed live here on Verfassungsblog from 4:00 - 5:45 pm. Join now! Continue reading >>

Tamar Hostovsky Brandes

Is it the Court’s Role to Save a Country from Itself?

On May 6, 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected eight petitions against PM Netanyahu’s rule as PM and against the unity agreement between Netanyahu and his former contender, Benny Gantz (“the Unity Agreement”). The unanimous decision was delivered by an expanded panel of eleven judges, who emphasized that despite the severity of the allegations against Netanyahu, there was no basis, in Israeli law, for disqualifying him. Continue reading >>

Päivi Leino-Sandberg

Constitutional Constraints meet Political Pressure

The Finnish Constitutional Law Committee had already in April adopted a critical position towards the COVID 19 crisis measures in the EU. Last week the Committee continued its critical examination. It came to the conclusion that the Eurogroup decision to essentially remove all conditionality from the new loan facility of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is incompatible with the Finnish Constitution and expressed serious doubts about its compatibility with EU law. The Committee also repeated its concerns about the accumulation of financial risks deriving from EU membership. Continue reading >>

Alice Donald, Philip Leach

Human Rights – The Essential Frame of Reference in the Global Response to COVID-19

It is mistaken to conceive of COVID-19 principally as a threat whose eradication necessarily requires rights to be sacrificed. Rather, human rights standards and principles offer a means of transparently balancing competing interests and priorities in the cauldron of COVID-19 decision-making – and rights-respecting measures which secure public confidence are likely to be more effective and sustainable over time than arbitrary or repressive ones. Continue reading >>

Gregor Albers

Sonderopfer für die Volksgesundheit

Zieht der Staat zur Gefahrenabwehr jemanden heran, der die Gefahr nicht selbst verursacht, so mag dies „zur Beförderung des gemeinschaftlichen Wohls“ ausnahmsweise rechtmäßig sein. Immerhin werden noch heute ganze Dörfer für den Braunkohletagebau enteignet. Anders als mit dem auch vom Ehtikrat herangezogenen Konzept der Solidarität in einer Gemeinschaft lässt sich das wirklich nicht erklären. Selbst ausnahmsweise können solche Maßnahmen jedenfalls nur unter der Bedingung rechtmäßig sein, dass den Betroffenen dafür eine angemessene Entschädigung gezahlt wird. Continue reading >>

Reinhard Mehring

Carl Schmitt und die Pandemie. Teil I

Unsere gegenwärtigen Corona-Zeiten werden weithin alltagssprachlich als große Katastrophe, Krise und „Ausnahmezustand“ wahrgenommen. Deshalb verwundert es nicht, dass in den Debatten gelegentlich auch der Name Carl Schmitts fällt. Sein Werk steht vor und nach 1933 für die extensive Rechtfertigung diktatorischer „Maßnahmen“ im „Ausnahmezustand“. Mit seiner Theorie und „Verfassungslehre“ verbindet sich die Erwartung, grundbegriffliche Orientierung in den Lücken des Gesetzes, rechtsfreien Räumen und im unübersichtlichen Gelände zu finden. Im ersten Teil dieses Beitrags werden als Basis einer Auseinandersetzung mit der Anwendung von Schmitts Kategorien auf Maßnahmen in der Corona-Pandemie die biographischen Bezüge Schmitts zur Spanischen Grippe beleuchtet. Continue reading >>

Giorgi Chitidze

Georgia’s Coronation of an Orwellian Doublethink

On 21 March 2020, Georgia declared a nationwide State of Emergency for one month in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19. The decree has recently been extended until May 22, 2020. To date, Georgia is among the countries with the least infected population and the mortality rate remains low (635 confirmed cases, 10 deaths, and 309 fully recovered as of May 10, 2020). Despite the relative success within the medical sphere, the rule of law, democracy and human rights are facing an epidemic of unseen scale. Continue reading >>

Charlotte Heppner

Ein Virus macht Verkehrspolitik?

In aller Welt machen zurzeit sogenannte „Pop Up Bike Lanes“ (im Behördendeutsch: „Temporäre Radverkehrsanlagen“) ihrem Namen alle Ehre: Sie sprießen nur so aus dem Asphalt – wo gestern eine Autospur war, ist heute ein Fahrradweg. Vorreiter in Sachen temporäre Radwege ist Berlin; also die Stadt, die normalerweise nicht mit einer besonders agilen Verwaltung von sich reden macht. Continue reading >>

Trung Nguyen

Viet Nam: When Non-Emergency Measures Equal Emergency Measures

In Viet Nam, Wthe ‘state of emergency’ clauses are virtually a repetition of measures the government may take when there is no emergency. This means that were the government to declare a state of emergency there would be no reserving policy space for the government to fall back to. Viet Nam should thus seize the opportunity to revise its legislation and clearly distinguish between emergency and non-emergency measure, both in terms of degree and scope. Continue reading >>

Toni Marzal

Is the BVerfG PSPP decision “simply not comprehensible”?

Upon reading the BVerfG’s bombshell PSPP decision, one cannot but be struck at how little it thinks of the quality of the legal reasoning of the CJEU with regards to the proportionality test. If one is to judge others so harshly, it is wise to make sure that one’s own position is irreproachable. The BVerfG failed to do so. Continue reading >>

Andrés Cervantes

Ecuador – Constitutionalism and Covid-19

When referring to the rule of law and constitutionalism we must be extremely cautious: Ecuador was founded in 1830 after the dissolution of Great Colombia, and in just 190 years has adopted 20 constitutions. The current Ecuadorian Constitution dates from 2008. This means that the nation does not possess a strong constitutional tradition nor a culture of promotion of the rule of law. On the contrary, Ecuador has a long history of institutional breakdowns and coup d'états which were caused by political and economic crisis. However, these were nothing compared with the situation all Ecuadorians are currently facing. Continue reading >>

Giuseppe Martinico, Marta Simoncini

Emergency and Risk in Comparative Public Law

As the entire world is struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, academics have been rediscovering the debate on emergency in public law. Our post explores whether the theory of disaster risk regulation can infuse the public law’s approach to emergency with new conceptual tools that contribute to mitigating the impact of emergencies. In so doing, we would like to recall how comparative public law has approached emergency and we shall then look at the insights coming from the theory of risk. Continue reading >>

Antoine Buyse, Roel de Lange

The Netherlands: Of Rollercoasters and Elephants

The Dutch authorities take a quasi-legal, quasi-rhetorical approach to shape their intelligent lockdown and try to tame the pandemic beast, with questionable constitutional practices as a result. While the reliance on medical and other expertise might be a welcome difference compared to some other countries, overreliance on experts in communication may hide real political and legal choices that have been made. Continue reading >>

Andreas Schüller

Werkzeuge für den Völkerrechtsbruch

Im Koalitionsvertrag heißt es: „Völkerrechtswidrige Tötungen lehnen wir kategorisch ab, auch durch Drohnen.“ Dennoch hat die Bundeswehr bewaffnungsfähige Drohnen geleast – wenn auch ohne die dazugehörigen Waffen. Die Bundesregierung beteuert zwar, die Drohnen nur rechtmäßig einsetzen zu wollen, vertritt aber völkerrechtliche Auffassungen, die sowohl Gerichte als auch weite Teile der Wissenschaft (hier und hier) als rechtswidrig einstufen. Solange sich das nicht ändert, sollte von einer Bewaffnung der Drohnen abgesehen werden. Andernfalls würde die Bundeswehr ein Werkzeug an die Hand bekommen, das es anderen Staaten bereits erleichtert hat, das Völkerrecht zu brechen. Continue reading >>

Franz C. Mayer

Auf dem Weg zum Richterfaustrecht?

Was auf dem Spiel steht ist die europäische Rechtsgemeinschaft. Sie ist noch immer ein enorm fragiles Konstrukt, weil sie nicht von einem Nationalstaat unterlegt ist, der zusätzliche Bindungskräfte erzeugt. Ihre zentralen Komponenten sind der EuGH als im historischen und weltweiten Vergleich einmaliges überstaatliches Gericht und das wechselseitige Vertrauen aller Gerichte in der Europäischen Union darin, dass Urteile im Rahmen des Europarechts insbesondere durch die Gerichte befolgt werden. Wenn das wegbricht, dann droht der Absturz in eine Art richterliches Faustrecht: Das Recht des stärkeren Gerichts. Continue reading >>

Iain Cameron, Anna Jonsson-Cornell

Sweden and COVID 19: A Constitutional Perspective

The Swedish government’s ways of handling the Corona crisis have drawn a lot of international attention. Sweden has tried to limit the spread of the disease by means of recommendations, rather than quarantines and curfews. There is no provision in the Swedish constitution for the declaration of a state of emergency in peacetime, only in war or where there is an imminent danger of war. Instead, the Swedish approach is to have delegations to the government, and sub-delegations to administrative agencies in a variety of statutes. Continue reading >>

Alexander Brade, Markus Gentzsch

PSPP mit „PEPP“

Die Entscheidung des BVerfG zu den Kompetenzen der EZB gibt Anlass zu der Annahme, dass das Gericht hier möglicherweise selbst die Grenzen seiner Zuständigkeit überschritten und damit gewissermaßen selbst „ultra vires“ gehandelt hat. Die EZB hat das Urteil zwar zur Kenntnis genommen, aber kühl auf die Entscheidung des EuGH verwiesen. Damit wird der „Gehorsamskonflikt“ mitten in das Europäische System der Zentralbanken hineingetragen. Continue reading >>

Andrej Lang

„Keine leichte Kost“

Mitten in einer der größten globalen Krisen seit dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs erklärt das Bundesverfassungsgericht das billionenschwere PSPP-Staatsanleihekaufprogramm der EZB ultra-vires. Das Urteil, das in den Worten des scheidenden Präsidenten Andreas Voßkuhle bei der Urteilsverkündung „keine leichte Kost“ ist, markiert eine der wichtigsten Entscheidungen des BVerfG zur europäischen Integration und hat potenziell weitreichende Folgen. Continue reading >>

Matej Avbelj

The Right Question about the FCC Ultra Vires Decision

Instead of re-opening the old debate on the merits and demerits of constitutional pluralism, the FCC decision should be actually taken up as an opportunity to concentrate on another systemic feature of the EU constitutional governance. The decision of the FCC is not a sign that we have a problem with constitutional pluralism in Europe but warns us that we have a major constitutional problem with the constitutional role of the ECB. Continue reading >>

Julia Weitensteiner

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Der Besuch der Lebenspartnerin bzw. des Lebenspartners ohne deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft ist pandemiebedingt derzeit grundsätzlich kein triftiger Grund für die Einreise nach Deutschland. Eine solche generelle Einschränkung wirft insbesondere im Hinblick auf ihre Verhältnismäßigkeit einige grundrechtliche Fragen auf. Continue reading >>

Adel-Naim Reyhani

Expelled from Humanity

The decision of the European Court of Human Rights in M.N. and Others v. Belgium will undoubtedly further propel the debate on the scope of extraterritorial state jurisdiction. More importantly, however, it reveals the necessity of addressing the systemic exclusion of refugees from the international legal order. Continue reading >>