25 February 2020
Is the UK Government Undermining the BBC?
The independent viability of the BBC from the government of the day has always been significantly a matter of convention. Any Government that took on the BBC was likely to suffer, politically, as a result. But since the last election, the political calculus has changed. Continue reading >>
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24 February 2020
Justizia und der Blindenführhund
Die 2. Kammer des 2. Senats des Bundesverfassungsgerichts hat am 30. Januar 2020 einen Beschluss des Kammergerichts Berlin aufgehoben. Das Kammergericht hatte eine Entscheidung des Landgerichts Berlin bestätigt, wonach eine Orthopädische Gemeinschaftspraxis einer blinden Patientin verbieten durfte, mit ihrem Blindenführhund die Praxisräume zu durchqueren, um ihre Physiotherapiepraxis zu erreichen. Die Entscheidung des BVerfG ist im Ergebnis erfreulich, die Begründung überzeugt aber nicht vollständig, insbesondere weil ein Widerspruch von Diskriminierungsverbot und Sozialstaat angeführt wird, den es so nicht gibt. Continue reading >>Das Volk – ein „Problem“ der Demokratie?
In diesem Symposion soll darüber diskutiert werden, wer das Volk eigentlich ist, wie es sich integriert und wie es zu einem politischen Willen und legitimen politischen Entscheidungen kommt. Continue reading >>23 February 2020
Could there be a Rule of Law Problem at the EU Court of Justice?
The Member States’ current plan of replacing the sitting U.K. Advocate General at the Court of Justice Eleanor Sharpston before the end of her six-year term raises a serious question whether doing so may violate the European Treaties. If yes, this would be a troubling intrusion on the independence of the Court and the constitutional structure of the Union – just when the EU should be setting an example for the Member States (both current and former). Continue reading >>21 February 2020
Hot Returns bleiben in der Praxis EMRK-widrig
In seinem Urteil N.D. und N.T. von letzter Woche hat die Große Kammer des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte eine Verletzung des in Art. 4 4. Zusatzprotokoll der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention verankerten Kollektivausweisungsverbots durch Spanien abgelehnt. Daraus den Schluss zu ziehen, die Praxis der sog. hot returns (unmittelbare Abschiebungen ohne individuelle Prüfung direkt an der Grenze) sei vom EGMR gutgeheißen worden, ist angesichts der Presseerklärung des EGMR dazu verständlich aber falsch. Die Praxis der hot returns war und bleibt rechtswidrig. Continue reading >>20 February 2020
Der parteiordnungsrechtliche Schnitt ins eigene Fleisch
Die Parteizentralen von FDP und CDU konnten offenbar nur mit erheblicher Mühe gegenüber den Landesverbänden und Landtagsfraktionen ihre Linie durchsetzen, nicht mit der AfD zu kooperieren. Sogar der Ausschluss des gesamten Landesverbandes Thüringen der CDU soll nach Presseberichten in der CDU-Führung diskutiert worden sein. Gegenüber solchen parteiordnungsrechtlichen weapons of mass destruction herrscht allerdings eine verständliche Zurückhaltung aus Gründen der innerparteilichen Demokratie. Continue reading >>19 February 2020
Byzantine Manoeuvres
The case of Osman Kavala, just as that of Selahettin Demirtaş, shows that that a system that breeds Article 18 violations responds to these judgments through yet more Article 18 violations. Bad faith rulings in Strasbourg have so far only received bad faith responses. Continue reading >>The Elephant in the Room
The ECtHR’s Grand Chamber judgement N.D. and N.T. v. Spain may be perceived as a referral of two migrants from illegal to legal pathways of entry, two migrants who were not in need of protection. Those celebrating the judgement for this outcome miss its unsettling implications for the effective guarantee of the principle of non-refoulement. Continue reading >>18 February 2020
Der Elefant im Raum
Man kann das Urteil N.D. und N.T. gg. Spanien der großen Kammer des EGMR so sehen, dass hier zwei auf illegalen Wegen angekommene, nicht schutzbedürftige Migranten auf legale Zugangswege verwiesen wurden. Wer es dafür feiert, übersieht die unvertretbaren Implikationen, die das Urteil für die effektive Gewährleistung des Refoulement-Verbots hat. Continue reading >>Private (Transnational) Power without Authority
On 9 September 2019 Facebook banned from its platforms all pages and profiles related to the Italian far-right organization “CasaPound”, for the violation of its Community Standard no. 12 (hate speech and incitement to violence). On 11 December 2019, the Tribunal of Rome (ToR) adopted the precautionary measure ordering Facebook Ireland Ltd. to restore the pages and their content and to pay the losses. The decision raises significant issues in several respects and might serve as a model to courts beyond Italy. Continue reading >>DEM-DEC Research Update Editorial: Global Democracy and the Fierce Urgency of 2020
Latest Global Research Update Just Issued The first Global Research [...] Continue reading >>
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17 February 2020
A Restrictionist Revolution?
The immediate response to the ECtHR’s N.D. & N.T.-Judgment on ‘Hot Expulsions’ at the Spanish-Moroccan Border was shock and dismay – but the decision can also be read differently: as defined by a series of inbuilt ambiguities that combine restrictionist tendencies with dynamic elements, which are bound to cause heated debates of both principle and practice in the coming years. Continue reading >>Wehrhafte Demokratie oder Entmachtung der parlamentarischen Minderheit?
Den Anfängen soll gewehrt werden. So weit, so gut. Der Eilantrag der SPD-Fraktion im nordrhein-westfälischen Landtag unter dem schmissig-sperrigen Titel „Keine Thüringer Verhältnisse in Nordrhein-Westfalen – Demokraten müssen sich von der AfD distanzieren – keine Form der Zusammenarbeit!“ vom 10. Februar 2020 wirft allerdings einige Fragen auf. Die entscheidende ist: Bedarf es wirklich eines verfassungsrechtlich heiklen förmlichen (Rechts-)Akts, um Haltung zu zeigen? Continue reading >>15 February 2020
The Italian Constitutional Court Opens Up to Hear the Voice of Civil Society
On January 8 2020, the Italian Constitutional Court gave civil society a voice on the issues discussed before it. The Court amended the regulations governing the conduct of proceedings before it and puts itself in a position where it is able take account of expert opinions as well as civil society stakeholders. Continue reading >>14 February 2020
A Painful Slap from the ECtHR and an Urgent Opportunity for Spain
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights shockingly endorses a practice which opposes the core principles of International Law and the protection of fundamental rights. This decision repeals a previous ECtHR judgement of 2017 which had condemned push-backs and which Spain had asked to be referred to the Grand Chamber. But all hope is not lost: The Spanish Constitutional Court will rule on the “rejections at the border” provision in the near future and has the chance to uphold Spain’s international legal obligations. Continue reading >>„Der Sinn der ganzen Strategie“: Die AfD und eine offene Flanke der Thüringer Verfassung
Das Stellen der Vertrauensfrage durch einen im Laufe der kommenden Tage oder Wochen gewählten neuen Ministerpräsidenten in Thüringen würde der AfD erneut die Tür zur Desavouierung der parlamentarischen Spielregeln öffnen. Die demokratischen Parteien sollten daher vorgezogene Neuwahlen nur über den Weg einer Selbstauflösung des Landtages anstreben. Darüber hinaus wäre über eine Änderung widersprüchlicher Regelungen in der Thüringischen Verfassung nachzudenken. Continue reading >>“Unlawful” may not mean rightless.
Article 4 of Protocol No. 4 ECHR is short. Its title reads “Prohibition of collective expulsion of aliens”, its text reads: “Collective expulsion of aliens is prohibited.” It comes as a historical disappointment that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in its decision in the case N.D. and N.T. v. Spain from 13 February 2020 distorts this clear guarantee to exclude apparently “unlawful” migrants from its protection. The decision is a shock for the effective protection of rights in Europe and at its external borders. Continue reading >>13 February 2020
Paving the Way for Undermining the Independence of UK’s Media
Two stories made the headlines in the United Kingdom last week. One concerns the exclusion of reporters from a briefing at Downing Street, the other a potential review of the BBC's funding model. Both raise concerns over a declining culture of respect of media independence in the United Kingdom. Continue reading >>
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12 February 2020
Zwischen Neutralität und politischer Verantwortung
Wie weit geht die Neutralitätspflicht eines Regierungsmitglieds – und wo fängt der politische Meinungskampf als Parteipolitiker an? Dazu verhandelte der Zweite Senat des Bundesverfassungsgerichts am 11. Februar 2020 und versuchte, die Grenzen der Äußerungsbefugnisse von Regierungsmitgliedern auszuloten. Continue reading >>Kolevi: Bulgaria’s 10-Year Cat-and-Mouse Game with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission
A cat-and-mouse game perfectly describes Bulgaria’s stubborn refusal to comply with Kolevi v Bulgaria, which requires a reform of Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s Office, and it has been going on for a decade. The latest trick pulled out of the bag is quite original – Bulgaria’s government essentially asked Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court to clarify if some of the concerns raised by the Venice Commission were reasonable, and this court deemed the question admissible. Continue reading >>„Im Seminar muss man einander ins Gesicht sehen können“
Ein Interview mit Christian Waldhoff zum Vollverschleierungsverbot im Allgemeinen und in Schulen und Hochschulen im Besonderen. Continue reading >>11 February 2020
Über die Wahrung der demokratischen Form
Ist es verfassungsrechtlich zwielichtig, wenn die Bundeskanzlerin die Wahl eines Landesministerpräsidenten kritisiert, weil sie zum einen nicht zuständig und zum anderen zu politischer Neutralität verpflichtet ist? FAZ-Redakteur Reinhard Müller behauptet dies und fordert, die "demokratische Form zu wahren". Was immer das bedeuten soll, es kann nicht heißen, politisch neutral zu sein. Hier verwechselt Müller, aber nicht nur er, Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit. Die Form der Demokratie ist die Form der Politik. Continue reading >>10 February 2020
Notruf 690: Die Obergrenze für die Bundestagsgröße als Verschlimmbesserung
Am vergangenen Freitag berichtete das Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, dass ein Konzeptpapier der SPD-Fraktion im Deutschen Bundestag für die dringend notwendige Wahlrechtsreform vorsehe, die Bundestagsgröße auf 690 Mandate zu deckeln, während gleichzeitig die 299 Wahlkreise beibehalten werden sollen. Das Papier sehe drei Alternativen zur Ausgestaltung vor und werde noch in dieser Woche von den Fraktionsspitzen diskutiert. Während die erste Variante politisch kaum durchsetzbar sein wird, ist die zweite Variante verfassungsrechtlich heikel. Continue reading >>09 February 2020
„Trump ist nicht das Problem, sondern nur ein Symptom“
Das Impeachment-Verfahren gegen Donald Trump, warum es scheitern musste und welche Schäden es hinterlässt: ein Interview mit Mattias Kumm. Continue reading >>07 February 2020
Das Ende des Hufeisens
Es ist viel zu früh, um die Ereignisse in diesem Thüringer und deutschen Winter abschließend zu bewerten. Nicht zu früh ist es dafür, einige falsche Gewissheiten endgültig zu verabschieden. Die erste ist parteipolitischer Art, die zweite demokratie- und staatspolitischer Natur. Jedenfalls die zweite hat weitreichende juristische Implikationen. Continue reading >>Totgesagte leben länger
Nach der Wahl von Thomas Kemmerich zum thüringischen Ministerpräsidenten hieß es zunächst, die bisherigen Minister seien mit der Neuwahl nicht weiter geschäftsführend im Amt. Bei genauerer Betrachtung ist diese Folge allerdings keinesfalls selbstverständlich. Womöglich regiert Kemmerich – solange er regiert – weiter mit einem rot-rot-grünen Kabinett. Continue reading >>Frontex and the Duty to Respect and Protect Human Rights
This blogpost will look at the levels of human rights protection and suggest a way forward in light of the agency’s extended tasks and competencies. Continue reading >>
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06 February 2020
In Defense of Academic Freedom and Autonomy
We, members of the academic community, hereby express our full support to the Editors-in-Chiefs, the Editorial and Scientific Advisory Board who resigned en masse from the European Law Journal, owned by Wiley. The conduct of the publishing house has shown total lack of appreciation of the values of academic integrity and autonomy. The Scientific Board’s brave move seeks not to be praised as heroic, but it firmly posits decency and respect for these principles above all other considerations. Continue reading >>Frontex goes Africa: On Pre-emptive Border Control and Migration Management
Especially since the migratory pressure of 2015, the agency has discovered the significance of the African pre-frontier area. The rationale behind this reinforced engagement in Africa is one of pre-emptive border control and migration management. Continue reading >>
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The Territorial Expansion of Frontex Operations to Third Countries: On the Recently Concluded Status Agreements in the Western Balkans and Beyond…
This blog post first sketches out the agency’s successive mandate expansions allowing for a broader geographic theatre of operations. It then examines the law currently governing the exterritorial activities of Frontex, in particular the recently concluded status agreements with Western Balkan countries. Continue reading >>
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05 February 2020
You Can’t Forbid Judges to Think
The Polish judiciary is split apart. One part adheres to the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU of 19th November 2019, another does not. This legal chaos and catastrophe was caused by the recent judicial reforms and it deprives citizens of the most important right – to be certain what their legal situation in court is. Continue reading >>
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Refugee Camps at EU External Borders, the Question of the Union’s Responsibility, and the Potential of EU Public Liability Law
Catharina Ziebritzki argues that responsibilities are effectively blurred by the sheer number of actors operating in asylum processing centres at the EU external borders. Continue reading >>04 February 2020
Fact Check: Is there a ‘Muzzle Law’ for Dutch Judges in the Making? No!
A few days ago the suggestion was made that a draft law is in the making in the Netherlands to prevent Dutch judges from ruling on politically sensitive issues. Should we worry about this? I think not. Continue reading >>
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Wiley and the European Law Journal
We want to believe that no self-respecting scholar will allow himself or herself to be used in any way by Wiley to defeat the principled stand taken by the Editors and Boards of the ELJ. It is we, scholars of European Law, who actually give commercial value to such a journal by submitting and publishing our work in its pages. We should not be complicit in undermining the most basic values of the scholarly world. Continue reading >>
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Contextualising Frontex: A Long-Term Perspective on Database Monitoring of Migrants
This blogpost contextualises Frontex by discussing a pioneer database in Europe, the German Central Foreigner Register that presumably served as a model when establishing the European databases, and by drawing some lessons from the German case for the European context regarding the effectiveness of database surveillance. Continue reading >>
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What a Journal Makes: As we say goodbye to the European Law Journal
On January 31st, the Editorial and Advisory Boards of the European Law Journal resigned en masse from their positions in protest after the publisher, Wiley, decided that it was not willing to ‘give away’ control and authority over editorial appointments and decisions to the academics on the journal’s Boards. We recount our small act of resistance here because we think there may be lessons for the wider academic community. Continue reading >>Quo Vadis Frontex: Crossing the Fine Line Between Prevention and Repression?
For many years, Frontex and border control were of little interest to the wider European public. This changed in the wake of the so-called ‘migrant crisis’ as the agency and its various activities were thrust into the limelight due to a steady stream of allegations of misconduct. Continue reading >>
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03 February 2020
The Struggle of Strasbourg
This year’s Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) saw three distinct yet interrelated developments. On Tuesday, the Assembly decided to open a monitoring procedure with regard to Poland on behalf of the ongoing rule of law backsliding. On Wednesday, the Assembly decided to ratify the credentials of the Russian delegates which had previously been challenged both on procedural and on substantive grounds. Still on Wednesday, the Assembly backed the proposal for the introduction of a new ‘complementary joint procedure’, together with the Committee of Ministers, in response to violations of fundamental principles underlying the work of the organisation. Continue reading >>A Very Short Introduction to Frontex— Unravelling the Trajectory of one of the EU’s Key Actors
This first contribution to the symposium briefly outlines the genesis, development, and status quo of the agency, while the ensuing analyses will zoom in on specific politico-legal matters that are at the core of the current debate. Continue reading >>
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01 February 2020
Die vollendete Trennung
Gestern haben die Brexiteers endlich bekommen, was sie wollten: Seit Mitternacht mitteleuropäischer Zeit ist Großbritannien nicht mehr Mitglied der EU. Ich war in London an diesem Tag, den hier tausende EU-Gegner*innen gefeiert haben. Und ehrlich gesagt, es war weniger spektakulär als all die Bilder es nahelegen. Was bleibt, ist ein Gefühl des Unwirklichen. Continue reading >>The Conference on the Future of Europe: an Open Letter
To the Presidents of the European Parliament, of the EU Commission and of the Council: Europe, and your new, yet already contested, political leadership can hardly afford to be associated with an initiative that might soon be perceived as top-down, unauthentic, outdated and out-of-touch with EU citizens’ daily lives. Continue reading >>
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31 January 2020
Macht endlich was!
Blockadehaltung, magisches Denken, abenteuerliche Behauptungen: die Weigerung der Regierungskoalition, für ein funktionales und verfassungskonformes Wahlrecht zu sorgen, kann man sich nur noch dadurch erklären, dass es ihr allein um den Erhalt der eigenen Vorteile, sprich: Mandate, geht. Ein letzter Hilferuf, bevor es zu spät ist. Continue reading >>In Defence of Multilevel Citizenship – A Rejoinder
The twenty-two responses to Rainer Bauböck's proposal for strengthening urban citizenship suggest two general lessons. First, there is more common ground than expected. None of the authors defends a strong statist view that would not leave any space for a conversation about citizenship at the local level. Second, in spite of its long premodern pedigree, the idea of urban citizenship seems still so new that it needs to be fleshed out in more detail. Conceptual confusion makes it hard to distinguish misunderstanding from disagreement, so the most urgent task now seems to be clarification. Continue reading >>
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Medienverbote leicht gemacht
Das Urteil zu linksunten.indymedia.org ist weit über den Einzelfall aus verfassungsrechtlicher Sicht fatal. Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht will es dem Bundesinnenministerium offenbar ermöglichen, Medien wegen ihrer Veröffentlichungen mit einem Vereinsverbot zu belegen. Damit wird die föderale Kompetenzordnung durchbrochen und ein bedrohlicher Präzedenzfall für maßlose Beschneidungen der Medienfreiheit geschaffen. Continue reading >>30 January 2020
A Political Promise or a Hollow Hope?
If one accepts the proposition that control of the gates is a core feature of state-centred citizenship, what can be the legal implications of urban citizenship, in addition to the ones that already exist? Continue reading >>
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Can Elections be Held under Unconstitutional Electoral Law?
After the collapse of the Slovenian government, a snap election will possibly take place in April. The Constitutional Court, however, had declared the electoral law partly unconstitutional. Could that throw the very constitutionality of the snap election into question? Continue reading >>Citizenship Federalism and the Ambiguous Promise of Local Citizenship
Kenneth Stahl argues that many countries such as the United States already have a form of “citizenship federalism,” in which local (not specifically urban) citizenship, based on residence, exists alongside national citizenship, rooted in nationality. Continue reading >>
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“Judges should be fully insulated from any sort of pressure”
Prof. Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, explains why mutual trust and judicial independence are of fundamental importance to the EU Member States. Continue reading >>Does Urban Citizenship Promote Inclusion for the Poor, Sick, and Outcast?
The assumption is that nation-states often undervalue potential immigrants and that cities would better value their potential contributions. Because citizenship involves not only inclusion but also exclusion, however, there are dangers to proposals such as Bauböck’s that “cities should determine who their citizens are independently of how states do this.” Continue reading >>
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29 January 2020