Human Rights

EC Challenges Polish Law on Judges’ Retirement

July 13, 2018

The European Commission (EC) has launched legal proceedings challenging a recently passed Polish law lowering the mandatory retirement age of judges on the country’s Supreme Court from 70 to 65, while giving the President the opportunity to extend their terms, on the ground that the law is a threat to judicial independence.
Lawyer: EU Procurement Rules Could Support Foreign Lawsuits

July 12, 2018

Eamonn Conlon of the law firm A&L Goodbody asserts that the 2014 EU Procurement Directives, as transposed into the national laws of EU members, could be the basis for a cause of action against companies that have procurement contracts with governments for labor rights abuses in foreign countries.
CoE Launches Five-Year Gender Equality Strategy

June 28, 2018

At a conference in Copenhagen in May, the Council of Europe (CoE) launched a Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 "to remove barriers in achieving substantive and full gender equality" between men and women across Europe.
ECJ: Entry Ban Cannot Trump Family Unification Rights

June 27, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) recently ruled that an EU member state may only enforce an entry ban against a non-EU national on public policy grounds once it has considered the national's request to remain in the EU with a family member who is an EU citizen.
CoE Meeting Explores "Harmful Gender Stereotypes"

June 26, 2018

The Council of Europe (CoE) recently co-organized a "Barbershop" event for men in Strasbourg to determine "how men can join women in advancing gender equality and combat sexism" by recognizing and challenging "harmful gender stereotypes," including views on "manhood and masculinity."
Facebook Offers Users Opt-outs to Comply with GDPR

June 05, 2018

NPR reports that the social media giant Facebook is planning to offer opt-outs for users permitting them to avoid features that could expose their personal data in a move toward compliance with the EU's globally applicable General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
ECJ Requires Mental-Health Exceptions to Returns

June 04, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) recently held that EU law requires a member state not to return a person to his home country if it determines he could be intentionally deprived of mental health services, and that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibits countries from returning a person who would as a result suffer a deterioration in his mental health disorders.
CoE Body Seeks Improved Complaints Systems for "Torture"

June 01, 2018

In its recently released annual report, the Council of Europe's (CoE) Committee for the Prevention of Torture criticized CoE member states for failing to provide "effective" complaints mechanisms offering redress, including compensation, for prisoners and others in state custody alleging that they have been subjected to torture or other "inhuman" or "degrading" treatment.
EC Proposes Rules to Aid Corporate Whistleblowers

May 31, 2018

The Guardian reports on a European Commission (EC) proposal to harmonize corporate whistleblower standards across the EU in legislation that would create a special legal status for such whistleblowers and grant them access to legal aid and financial support to encourage them to expose unlawful business conduct.
UK Peers Seek to Retain EU Rights Charter After Brexit

May 31, 2018

The BBC reports that the UK House of Lords recently voted to amend the government's EU withdrawal bill to require the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which only applies when a country is implementing EU law, to remain in force in Britain after the country leaves the EU.