Law & Justice

ECtHR Finds Russia Culpable in Poisoning of Litvinenko

September 22, 2021

The European Court of Human Rights has determined that Russia was responsible for the assassination of ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died in 2006 after being poisoned in London with a rare radioactive substance.
EU Observer: Rule-of-Law Issues Continue to Stall Hungary-Poland Recovery Plans

September 07, 2021

Concerns regarding the rule of law are keeping The EU Commission locked in negotiations with Hungary and Poland over the approval of their Covid-19 recovery plans including Poland’s challenge to the primacy of EU law over national law.
Facebook’s WhatsApp Fined for Breaking EU’s Data Privacy Law

September 07, 2021

In a case that represents a big test of Europe’s ability to enforce its landmark data privacy law, Irish authorities have fined Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service nearly $270 million for lack of transparency concerning how data is used and collected from people on the service.
The Legal Battle in Europe Begins over Nord Stream 2

August 17, 2021

The Jamestown Foundation has published an article detailing how a European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgement will affect the certification and future operation at full capacity of Nord Stream 2, the natural gas pipeline directly linking Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea.
Germany Rebuffs EU legal Move over ECB Ruling

August 11, 2021

Following the The legal step taken by the European Commission aimed at forcing Berlin to acknowledge the primacy fo EU law over national court decisions, Germany has rejected the ruling saying the case was unfounded and that its courts acted in accordance with EU law.
$888 Million Fine for Amazon Over EU Data Violations

August 03, 2021

CNPD, the Luxembourg data protection authority fined Amazon a record amount, $888 million, after passing a decision that accused the online retailer of using personal data in violation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.
Google Takes Legal Action over Germany's Expanded Hate-Speech Law

July 28, 2021

Google is taking legal action under its parent company, The Alphabet, over an expanded version of Germany's hate-speech law that recently took effect, citing that the changes, which allow user data to be passed to law enforcement before it is clear any crime has been committed, violates the right to privacy of its users.
Top EU Court: Companies can Ban Headscarves at Work

July 19, 2021

The Court of Justice of the European Union, The EU’s top court, has ruled that private companies can prohibit employees from wearing headscarves at work citing an employers genuine « need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes ».
Ukraine Takes a Step Towards Judicial Reform

July 19, 2021

The Atlantic Council writes that after years of Ukraine struggling to reform its flawed judicial system, MPs adopted two laws that could potentially establish foundations for the reboot of the country’s legal system backing the relaunch the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) and High Council of Justice (HCJ).
Venice Commission: Turkey Counterterrorism Law ‘Incompatible’ with International Law

July 12, 2021

The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, warned that Turkey’s counterterrorism law against terrorist financing, Law No. 7262 on the Prevention of Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, is not compatible for international law and ignores civil society’s concerns.