Law students and young lawyers from the European Union are reporting for JURIST on law-related events in and affecting the European Union and its member states. Jacky-Long Mouthuy recently graduated from Maastricht University. He files this dispatch from Maastricht, Netherlands. The European Parliament last Thursday officially triggered a procedure under Article 7(2) TEU (Treaty [...]
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European Parliament concerned over Slovakia proposed legislative reforms
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Wednesday, expressing concerns over Slovakia’s proposed criminal code reforms and the dissolution of the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The European Parliament is worried the moves potentially endanger the rule of law in Slovakia. Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico introduced reforms in December. The reforms relaxed penalties for corruption and [...]
Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws, KC, is one of the UK’s most established lawyers, a bencher at Gray’s Inn and a member of the House of Lords. Kennedy is also a broadcaster, journalist and lecturer. She has not only acted in many of the most prominent cases of the last decade but has promoted civil [...]
Why do coups d’état happen? Is it that bad leadership pushes people to their boiling points, compelling them to take matters into their own hands? Or is it a lack of adequate preventative laws? Do external factors play a role? And in Africa specifically, how much of an impact does history tend to have? Moreover, [...]
Human rights NGOs call upon UK to expand universal jurisdiction
A recent report published by two human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs), REDRESS and the Clooney Foundation, found, “The UK has deviated from its historical commitment to international justice.” The report went on to argue that the UK should reform its existing laws to allow for greater universal jurisdiction, clearing a path to bring more international [...]
Interview: Columbia's Jeffrey Sachs on Russia, Ukraine, and International Justice
Economist and foreign policy expert Jeffrey Sachs, a best selling author and director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development, has long argued that Russia’s hostility toward Ukraine was provoked by the U.S. vis-à-vis pushes for NATO expansion, military interventions, and other forms of meddling. In an interview with JURIST Assistant Editor Pitasanna Shanmugathas, Sachs [...]
EU starts infringement proceedings against Poland over new Russian influence law
The European Commission initiated infringement proceedings against member state Poland on Thursday over the country’s recently-passed law aimed at officials who have allegedly come under Russian influence. The new law, nicknamed the “lex Tusk” after former Polish PM and purported target Donald Tusk, establishes a committee to investigate whether certain officials acted under “Russian influence” [...]
EU dispatch: Croatia's entry into the Schengen Zone presents problems as well as opportunities
Mykyta Vorobiov is a student at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. He is currently in Zagreb, Croatia. As a Ukrainian correspondent for JURIST now studying at the University of Zagreb, I have observed many differences and similarities between the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The region’s political life has fascinated me since I arrived, and [...]
European Commission recommends Bosnia and Herzegovina as candidate for EU membership
The European Commission (EC) Wednesday recommended Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted candidate status for accession to the European Union (EU). In a press release, the EC announced Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidate status. The EC emphasized that the candidate status dictates that Bosnia and Herzegovina take steps towards reinforcing democracy, functionality of state institutions, rule of [...]
Explainer: Rule of Law and De Facto Differentiation in the EU
In October 2021, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that in the event of a conflict between the Constitution of Poland and the treaties of the European Union, the Polish Constitution will reign supreme. The Tribunal concluded that Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union, in conjunction with Article 279 of the Treaty on the Functioning of [...]