18 June 2021
A Tale of Primacy Part. II
On 18 May 2021, the CJEU issued a judgment on several requests for preliminary ruling by Romanian national courts regarding the impact of EU law on Romanian laws on the judiciary and the CVM. On 8 June, the Romanian Constitutional Court issued a decision pertaining to the subject. In a succession of legal nonsense, it shattered hope that the CJEU’s judgment could be a guide for national courts for applying the primacy of the EU law. Continue reading >>
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17 June 2021
A Hidden Revolution
European data protection law has become (in-)famously known as one of the main tools for both the European legislature and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to push the boundaries of European integration. The most recent decision of the Court in Case C-645/19, 15 June 2021 – Facebook Ireland continues this well-established tradition. What may at first glance appear as a rather technical ruling might initiate a hidden revolution and lead to an unprecedented step for the ever-closer integration of the EU’s legal order. Continue reading >>
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Sind Verstöße gegen die Vorlagepflicht noch an Art. 101 GG zu messen?
Aussetzungs- und Vorlagebeschlüsse deutscher Gerichte sind unionsrechtlich volldeterminierte Akte deutscher Staatsgewalt. Damit sind sie seit der BVerG-Entscheidung "Recht auf Vergessen II" nicht mehr an dem Grundgesetz, sondern an den Chartagrundrechten zu messen, genauer gesagt an Art. 47 UAbs. 2 GRC. Continue reading >>16 June 2021
Bestenauswahl oder Beinfreiheit?
Am kommenden Donnerstag wird sich der schleswig-holsteinische Landtag mit einem Gesetzentwurf zwecks Änderung des Landesrichtergesetzes befassen. Der Entwurf wird von allen demokratischen Fraktionen getragen und zielt im Kern darauf ab, die Grundsätze der Bestenauswahl nach Art. 33 Abs. 2 GG bei der Anstellung und Beförderung von RichterInnen im Land zugunsten von „mehr Beinfreiheit“ für den Richterwahlausschuss zurückzufahren. Wer „die Besten“ sind, soll sich fortan nicht mehr (nur) nach Eignung, Befähigung und fachlicher Leistung, sondern nach anderen, allerdings nicht näher beschriebenen Kriterien entscheiden. Der Plan ist nicht nur verfassungsrechtlich, sondern auch politisch höchst problematisch. Continue reading >>A Hollow Threat
On 10 June, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the application of the Conditionality Regulation and threatens to take the EU Commission to Court. However, the very peculiar ‘action for failure to act’ set out in Article 265 TFEU is not an appropriate procedure to solve the problem at issue. The Parliament should employ the more political means at its disposal to tackle a problem that is ultimately political in nature. Continue reading >>
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The Demise of Viking and Laval
In Viking and Laval, the ECJ reduced the right of trade unions to take collective action and made it subject to the requirements of the four freedoms, effectively undermining its recognition as a fundamental right according to EU law. This sent shockwaves through the trade unions of Europe. In its recent Holship ruling, the ECtHR has challenged this, with potentially wide-reaching implications for the relationship between the human rights and EU fundamental freedoms, seen from the perspective of Strasbourg. Continue reading >>15 June 2021
Ende der Krise ohne Ende des Krisenrechts?
Die Pandemie geht, das Lernen geht weiter – oder genauer sagt: beginnt erst richtig. Ausnahmesituationen weisen drei riskante Zonen auf: Den Übergang in das Sonderrecht, die Begrenzung des Sonderrechts und den Ausstieg aus dem Sonder- in den Normalfall. Sie alle haben sich in der Bundesrepublik nach den Vorgaben des Grundgesetzes zu vollziehen. Denn Pandemie und Katstrophen sind Ausnahmesituationen im Recht, nicht vom Recht; nach der Verfassung, nicht von der Verfassung. Continue reading >>
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The Courts Strike Back
The Shell case, decided by the Hague District Court on 26 May 2021, is part of a growing body of climate cases. What the Shell case does is that it liberates the political-decision maker from the suffocating grip of investor state dispute settlement mechanisms, in particular the mechanism under the Energy Charter Treaty. Continue reading >>No Country for ‘Old Men’
On 2 June 2021, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a bill on the status of oligarchs before the Ukrainian parliament. The bill would have wide-ranging implications. It does not only provide a definition of who counts as an oligarch but also provides measures to reduce the influence of oligarchs in media and public life. Continue reading >>
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From Russia with Love
On 15 June, the Hungarian Parliament is expected to vote on a legislative package on stricter actions against paedophile offenders. Attached to this noble cause, the ruling party seeks to prohibit the “representation” and “promotion” of LGBTI identities to minors. The proposal would outlaw almost any mention of sexual and gender minorities in schools. Continue reading >>
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The Power of Open Norms
In a judgement of 26 May, the District Court of the Hague found that Royal Dutch Shell has an “individual responsibility” to limit its carbon emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030. Notable about the ruling is the unwritten standard of care functioning as an open norm, facilitating the accountability of private power. The openness of legal categories not only entails a potential to drive forward social change, but it also implicitly highlights the political role and nature of private law. Continue reading >>14 June 2021
Kippt die Kommission die Braunkohle-Entschädigung?
Die Bundesregierung hat sich mit verschiedenen Betreibergesellschaften auf eine millardenschwere Entschädigung für den Braunkohle-Ausstieg geeinigt. Nicht nur die öffentliche Kritik an der Einigung ist groß. Auch die EU-Kommission hat Zweifel an der EU-Rechtskonformität der Entschädigungszahlungen geäußert und nun ein förmliches Prüfverfahren eingeleitet. Continue reading >>
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Does the End of the Netanyahu Government Mark the End of “Democratic Backsliding” in Israel?
What does the end of the Netanyahu era mean for “constitutional populism” in Israel, where the “Nation-State Law" was cited as one of the main components of an “anti-constitutional” revolution? To answer these questions, we should recall that the Israeli version of “democratic decline”/constitutional crisis/populism developed against a complex background. The most important element of it is the attempt to entrench Israel’s ethnic nature as a “Jewish state,” against liberal currents epitomized for the right wing in several rulings of the Israeli Supreme Court. Continue reading >>Defending Democracy with Authoritarian Means
Brazilian Congress is currently discussing a legislative proposal to replace the current Law of National Security, enacted during the time of the military dictatorship in Brazil. It revokes the current Law of National Security and introduces a new section to Brazil’s Criminal Code defining various crimes against democracy, such as political violence, the dissemination of fake news in electoral campaigns and sabotage against democratic institutions. Continue reading >>12 June 2021
Die Ultra-vires-Kontrolle als notwendiger Baustein der europäischen Demokratie
Am 9. Juni 2021 hat die Europäische Kommission, in Antwort auf das PSPP-Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts vom 5. Mai 2020, ein Vertragsverletzungsverfahren gegen die Bundesrepublik Deutschland eingereicht. Dieses Vertragsverletzungsverfahren ist politisch unklug, rechtlich unzulässig und womöglich unbegründet. Allerdings birgt es auch das Potential, die unionsrechtliche Zulässigkeit des Rechtsinstituts der Ultra-vires-Kontrolle festzustellen. Continue reading >>11 June 2021
A Matter of Principle
On 9 June 2021, the European Commission announced that it is bringing an infringement procedure against Germany for breach of fundamental principles of EU law. The procedure is less about the possible outcomes and more a matter of principle. By launching it, the Commission is emphasizing the notion of equality between the member states. Continue reading >>Kenya and the BBI Five
On May 13 this year, a five-judge bench of the Kenya High Court struck down a state effort to amend Kenya’s 2010 Constitution. The ruling was a shocker when it came down. Will the Court of Appeal rescue or sink President Kenyatta? Continue reading >>Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight
On 10 June 2021, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on the Rule of Law situation in the European Union and the application of the Conditionality Regulation. In this Resolution, the European Parliament expresses its concerns about the regression of the democratic situation in several member States and regrets the inaction of other institutions, notably the Council and the Commission. Continue reading >>
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