Law & Justice

Poland Sends EU Explanation of Court Changes

February 28, 2017

Politico reports that, according to Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, the Polish government recently submitted to the European Commission an explanation of the legal changes it made to its Constitutional Tribunal, in response to the EU body's rule-of-law inquiry, and now expects that the investigation of Polish judicial independence "will be closed."
MEPs Reject Call for Universal Income

February 27, 2017

EurActiv reports that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to reject provisions of a report from the body's Legal Affairs Committee calling for the taxation of robots and the establishment of a universal basic income for Europeans to make up for displaced jobs caused by advanced robotics technology.
UK Considers Exit from EU Emissions Scheme

February 23, 2017

Reuters reports that UK Member of the European Parliament Ian Duncan has predicted, given that maintaining British membership in the scheme would require its acceptance of the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU, the UK will not remain in the EU's Emission Trading System following its departure from the bloc.
CoE Body Calls for Corruption Reform in Austria

February 23, 2017

A report from the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Group of States against Corruption calls on Austria to develop a code of conduct for parliamentarians on conflicts of interest, pushes for tighter restrictions on their access to lobbyists, and seeks a reduction of the influence of the executive branch in the selection of judges.
HRW: EU Must Impose Sanctions on Poland

February 23, 2017

Philippe Dam of Human Rights Watch calls on the European Commission to pursue its actions against Poland using its purported authority under the Rule of Law Mechanism by attempting to trigger EU treaty sanctions against the country over the government's dispute with the Constitutional Tribunal.
Official: Greek Debt "Haircut" Means Leaving Euro

February 21, 2017

Bloomberg reports that, as Greek, EU, and International Monetary Fund officials approach another potential standoff over Greece's debt, German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble has asserted that any reduction of Greece's debt obligations would violate EU treaty rules and must result in Greece departing the euro currency.
EU Leaders Eye Alternative Rule of Law Mechanism

February 15, 2017

Politico reports that, as EU officials find it difficult to threaten the Polish Government over its conflict with the country's Constitutional Court, some leaders are considering taking up a proposal from Belgium requiring the European Commission to investigate "rule of law" concerns in each EU country as part of a periodic review process.
ECJ Chief Predicts Case over Brexit Deal

February 15, 2017

The Independent reports that President of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) Koen Lenaerts has speculated that aspects of Britain's trade deal with the EU following its exit from the bloc will likely end up in proceedings before the ECJ.
ECJ: ECB Is Not Liable for Greek Debt Losses

January 26, 2017

Finding that commercial banks cannot rely on "the principle of legal certainty" in the area of monetary policy, the Court of Justice of the EU has dismissed a complaint from financial institutions alleging that their losses from the restructuring of Greek debt violated EU law.
Barrister Identifies Cases of "Judicial Activism" at ECJ

January 17, 2017

In a recent debate as part of the think tank Policy Exchange's Judicial Power Project, British barrister Anthony Speaight QC identifies several cases in which he argues that the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) engaged in "judicial activism" by prioritizing its members' own policy goals over the plain meaning of the law.