European Institutions

Legislators Criticize Closed Process for EC Appointment

May 22, 2018

The European Parliament has adopted a report calling on the European Commission (EC) to reassess the appointment of Martin Selmayr as the EC's Secretary-General, finding that the process of his selection was not transparent but rejecting an amendment calling for Selmayr to relinquish his title pending any such review.
NGO Pushes EC Not to Accept Polish Compromise

May 22, 2018

Philippe Dam of Human Rights Watch has called on the European Commission (EC) not to accept "cosmetic changes" to Poland's laws reforming the judiciary as sufficient progress in acceding to EU demands on the rule-of-law situation in the country, pushing the EC to "insist" that Poland fully implement all EU recommendations to resolve the conflict over the courts.
EP Approves Measure on Party Transparency

May 22, 2018

The European Parliament (EP) has approved a set of proposals requiring greater transparency in EU-wide elections, including a requirement that national political parties include on their websites the logo and platform of their European affiliate and the "gender balance" of the party's membership in the EP.
EU Data-Protection Group Studies Social Media Policies

May 21, 2018

The Working Party 29, an association of national data-protection authorities in Europe, has announced its creation of a Social Media Working Group to develop a long-term strategy on how authorities should respond to the collection and misuse of personal data by tech companies.
ECJ: Courts Must Review Religious Qualifications for Church Positions

May 21, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) has held that EU member states must offer effective judicial review in cases in which a prospective employee challenges a church's inclusion of a particular religious affiliation as a job qualification, ruling such a requirement must be "necessary and objectively dictated," proportionate, and be relevant to the "ethos of the church."