11 November 2025
Access to Knowledge on the Move(ment)
In her State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen outlined several key priorities, among which one unmistakably stood out as a core objective: strengthening the EU Single Market. And there it was again – resurfacing with growing political weight – the call for a “fifth Freedom”: the free movement of knowledge and innovation. This contribution examines the legal implications that a new Freedom of movement could have on the right to access knowledge in the fields of research and education. Continue reading >>
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11 November 2025
Rooting Access in the Union’s Constitutional Norms and Values
The EU is currently experiencing epochal shifts. Key to addressing these challenges is harnessing the innovation potential of the ‘old continent’ by rediscovering the intellectual roots of an open, free, and progressive society. With the advent of digitisation, copyright law has generated chilling effects on innovation and creativity. Removing them is essential for exploiting Europe’s potential for creativity and innovation. Continue reading >>
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10 November 2025
Shaping the EU Digital Knowledge Agenda
The digital revolution has multiplied the potential for research and learning, which are preconditions for innovation and development. Nonetheless, the legal framework in the EU governing access and use of knowledge dates back to the analogue age. For this purpose, research and education must be prioritised, and the well-known regulatory hurdles urgently need ambitious reform. Continue reading >>
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15 June 2023
Fast-Tracking Law Enforcement at the Expense of Fundamental Rights
Five years in the making, the EU’s e-evidence Regulation was finally adopted by the European Parliament on June 13. The Regulation will allow law enforcement authorities to directly compel online service providers operating in the EU to preserve or produce e-evidence in the context of criminal proceedings. This is achieved through applying the principle of mutual recognition to cooperation with online service providers, thereby skipping judicial control in the Member State where the service provider is established. Whilst these innovations have been lauded for facilitating access to data in cross-border cases, this blogpost will detail how the Regulation’s emphasis on speed and efficiency comes at the expense of safeguarding suspects’ fundamental rights. Continue reading >>18 April 2023
New Digital Gates for Fortress Europe?
On March 29th, the Permanent Representatives Committee approved the EU Council's negotiating mandate for a Regulatory proposal to digitalize the Visa procedure. Proponents argue that this move will improve security and reduce administrative costs for both EU Member States and interested travellers. However, I argue that the Draft Regulation raises many concerns about the effective protection of the fundamental rights of Schengen visa applicants. If adopted, it threatens to perpetuate the subordination of fundamental rights to security and efficiency concerns that characterizes the increasing digitalization and datafication of EU migration management operations. Continue reading >>
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24 June 2021
Is UEFA on “the Other Side of the Rainbow”?
UEFA's stance on the rainbow flag has generated attention around the world. The disciplinary proceedings against Manuel Neuer by UEFA show: sport governing bodies still massively limit the freedom of political expressions by the athletes during big sporting events. Continue reading >>
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26 November 2019
Enforcement of EU Values and the Tyranny of National Identity – Polish Examples and Excuses
Professor A. von Bogdandy in his recent piece published at Verfassungsblog analyzes difficulties regarding enforcement of the EU values. He argues that the application of Treaty provisions relating to EU fundamental values should be cautious in order to avoid controversy or pressure. However, the ‘national identity argument’ is not convincing in the Polish case. It cannot be used by a Member State in an arbitrary or blanket way without being checked and confirmed. Continue reading >>
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26 November 2019
The Perils of Passivity in the Rule of Law Crisis: A Response to von Bogdandy
In a recent contribution to Verfassungsblog, Professor Armin von Bogdandy observes, “European constitutionalism is perhaps facing a ‘constitutional moment’. But rather than calling on the EU to stand up to increasingly authoritarian member governments, von Bogdandy concludes that, “Powerful arguments suggest caution.” His admonitions offer a lesson into how scholars can inadvertently propagate what political economist Albert Hirschman described in his 1991 book as The Rhetoric of Reaction. Continue reading >>25 May 2019
Interoperability of Databases and Interstate Trust: a Perilous Combination for Fundamental Rights
On 14 May 2019, the Council adopted two regulations, Regulation 2019/817 and Regulation 2019/818, establishing a framework for the interoperability between EU information systems in the Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice. The new rules on interoperability, upon which the European Parliament agreed in April 2019, will allegedly provide for easier information sharing and ‘considerably improve security in the EU, allow for more efficient checks at external borders, improve detection of multiple identities and help prevent and combat illegal migration’. All this, according to the press release of the Council, ‘while safeguarding fundamental rights’. It is questionable whether this commitment made by the EU legislator is justified. Continue reading >>
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07 April 2016
Mit den eigenen Waffen geschlagen: Die Reaktion des EuGH auf den unbedingten Vorrang der Menschenwürde vor dem Unionsrecht nach dem BVerfG
Der EuGH bewegt sich – aber er gibt dabei klar die Richtung vor. Das ist das Fazit zu seinem Urteil von vorgestern zum europäischen Haftbefehl. Die Antwort auf eine Vorlage des OLG Bremen, in der es um die Auslieferung aufgrund eines europäischen Haftbefehls bei der Gefahr menschenrechtswidriger Haftbedingungen im ersuchenden Staat ging, war zuletzt mit besonderer Spannung erwartet worden. Denn das BVerfG hatte vor kurzem einen Auslieferungsfall nach Italien zum Anlass genommen, nach Jahrzehnten die Solange-Rechtsprechung für den Anwendungsbereich der Menschenwürde in den Ruhestand zu verabschieden: Künftig hat Art. 1 Abs. 1 GG über den Hebel der Identitätskontrolle, und zwar ungeachtet des generellen Grundrechtsschutzstandards in der EU, immer Vorrang vor kollidierenden unionsrechtlichen Verpflichtungen. Dies konnte von europäischer Seite kaum unwidersprochen bleiben. Continue reading >>
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