18 February 2021
On illegal push-backs into the EU
On 29 December 2020, the Constitutional Court of Serbia (CCS) adopted a decision (Už-1823/2017) upholding the constitutional appeal filed on behalf of 17 Afghani migrants, who were expelled into Bulgaria although they had expressed the intention to seek asylum in the Republic of Serbia (RS) in 2017. It found that the Ministry of the Interior (Police Directorate - Gradina Border Police Station (BPS)) violated the prohibition of expulsion and inhuman treatment – both guaranteed in the Serbian Constitution. Continue reading >>
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07 February 2021
Die wahre Herrschaft des Unrechts
An den europäischen Grenzen herrscht das Unrecht. Im Mittelmeer sterben Menschen, weil die Seenotrettung versagt oder weil sie vom Grenzschutz zurückgedrängt werden. In Bosnien und Herzegowina hausen Schutzsuchende im Schnee, weil Kroatien ihnen den Weg in die EU versperrt. Ungarn interniert Flüchtlinge oder schiebt sie nach Serbien ab, ohne ein ordentliches Verfahren durchzuführen. Der EuGH hat die ungarische Asylpolitik wiederholt gerügt, so zuletzt in einer Entscheidung vom 17. Dezember 2020. Diese Rechtsprechung ist nicht nur für Ungarn bedeutsam – im Raum der Freiheit, der Sicherheit und des Rechts verpflichtet sie die EU als solche und jeden einzelnen Mitgliedstaat. Solange die Bundesregierung davor die Augen verschließt, stellt sie die Herrschaft des Rechts in Frage. Continue reading >>
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21 December 2020
Still Waters Run Deep
That lawsuits taken by a Hungarian human rights NGO can reach the CJEU swifter than those launched by the Commission is clear evidence that strategic litigation and determined advocacy can move mountains. At the same time, this is also a cause for great concern. It speaks volumes of the Commission’s reluctance to promptly and effectively go after a Member State that deliberately ignores and breaches EU law. Continue reading >>11 December 2020
No, the Spanish Constitutional Court has not endorsed migrant push-backs in Ceuta and Melilla
The Spanish Constitutional Court has just published a long-awaited judgement on migrant push-backs or “devoluciones en caliente” at the Spanish enclaves bordering on Morocco. These push-backs are controversial, to say the least. While media rushed to cover the press release summary, and reports that the SCC seemed to have endorsed the practice were not wholly accurate, the actual judgement is flawed by internal contradictions. There is an irreconcilable gap between the theoretical respect for fundamental rights, and their effective protection. Continue reading >>18 November 2020
LawRules #9: We need to talk about Refugees and Migration Law
We need to talk about refugees and migration law. In discussions about these topics, refugees and migration policy are often being treated as the other of politics and policy. But the way states treat those seeking refuge and asylum on their territory is fundamentally a rule of law issue, and actually says a lot about the current state of the rule of law there: Are refugees able to enter a jurisdiction and apply for their right to asylum? Are due process obligations being observed? Do refugees have access to justice? Does the European migration law system work? Continue reading >>
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