Search
Generic filters
19 February 2022

Who we are

Identity control by the European Court of Justice Continue reading >>
0
25 April 2021
,

A Securitarian Solange

There is sigh of relief across Europe after the BVerfG has rejected the injunction order by the plaintiffs against the Own Resources Decision. But a decision by the French Conseil d’Etat taken on the same day might be the far more important political decision. Indeed, the French Court goes further than the BVerfG by openly resisting the application of EU law. In this case, the French Government will indeed reject EU law for an extended (and potentially unlimited) period of time. Continue reading >>
05 May 2020

VB vom Blatt: Das BVerfG und die Büchse der ultra-vires-Pandora

Das ist das eigentlich Tragische des Urteils: Im Bereich der Geldpolitik wird es vermutlich schnell verpuffen, für andere Bereiche und andere Mitgliedstaaten hat es aber die Büchse der ultra-vires-Pandora (ohne Not) geöffnet. Sie wieder zu schließen, dürfte praktisch unmöglich sein… Continue reading >>
10 January 2017

The Hungarian Constitutional Court and Constitutional Identity

Ever since the 2010 parliamentary elections Hungary has set off on the journey to became an ‘illiberal’ member state of the EU, which does not comply with the shared values of rule of law and democracy, the ‘basic structure’ of Europe. The new government of Viktor Orbán from the very beginning has justified the non-compliance by referring to national sovereignty, and lately to the country’s constitutional identity guaranteed in Article 4 (2) TEU. This constitutional battle started with the invalid anti-migrant referendum, was followed by the failed constitutional amendment, and concluded in early December last year by a decision of the Constitutional Court, in which the packed body in a binding constitutional interpretation rubber-stamped the constitutional identity defense of the Orbán government. Continue reading >>
0
13 October 2016

Spielstand nach dem CETA-Beschluss: 2:2, und Karlsruhe behält das letzte Wort

Das BVerfG hat gesprochen, und (fast) alle sind zufrieden. Beide Seiten können sich als Sieger fühlen. Der wahre Sieger ist aber, manchen Ungereimtheiten in den Beschlussgründen zum Trotz, das Bundesverfassungsgericht selbst, Continue reading >>
24 June 2016

Ultra-vires-Kontrolle durch Bundesregierung und Bundestag – Für eine materielle Subsidiarität des Vorgehens gegen das Parlament

Das Bundesverfassungsgericht ist mit seinem Urteil zum OMT-Programm der Europäischen Zentralbank seiner Verantwortung, das (Verfassungs-)Recht in seinem größeren Bezug zu interpretieren (Art. 23 Abs. 1 S. 1 GG), gerecht geworden. Die Bundesregierung und der Bundestag werden dabei aber in die Rolle von Rechtshütern gedrängt, die sie funktional und institutionell-gewaltenteilig nur schwer spielen können. Dies gilt vor allem für das Parlament. Continue reading >>
18 February 2016

Human Dignity and Constitutional Identity: The Solange-III-Decision of the German Constitutional Court

As long as the German constitution is in force, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany intends to enforce the right to human dignity, law of the European Union not withstanding. It is going to enforce that right not only against conflicting Union law if necessary, but also parallel to its European protections. That is the central message of the court's historic decision of January 26th, 2016, in its second European arrest warrant case. Continue reading >>
27 January 2016

Awakenings: the “Identity Control” decision by the German Constitutional Court

The GCC has applied, for the first time, its “identity control” to a case fully covered by EU Law. In the end, it quashes the decision of the instance court but it states that EU and German law are perfectly in line with the solution it comes to. What is all the fuss about? Why has the GCC made an “identity control” when the Framework Decision solves the case anyway in the same terms? It seems as if the GCC is sending a message to Luxembourg. It is a harmless judgment on the facts, but a very important one on the symbolic side. Continue reading >>