European Institutions

Apple Challenges EU Tax Demand in Court

December 21, 2016

In an appeal to the General Court of the EU over the European Commission's demand that Apple pay €13 billion in back taxes to the government of Ireland, the tech company and the Irish government asserted that the Commission had failed to act impartially and had violated "member state sovereignty in the area of direct taxation."
EU Takes France to Court over Bird Protection

December 21, 2016

The European Commission has filed a complaint against France in the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to adequately enforce an EU directive prohibiting the killing or capture of certain wild birds.
EU Agency Seeks Rights-Based Revision of Migration Rules

December 21, 2016

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has issued two opinions requested by the European Parliament on including a human rights-based approach to the process of revising EU regulations on where migrants from non-EU countries should be settled.
ECtHR: Belgian Deportation Decision Was "Inhuman" Treatment

December 20, 2016

The European Court of Human Rights has concluded that Belgian authorities violated the rights of a man, who was convicted of robbery and of participating in a criminal organization, against inhuman or degrading treatment and to respect for private and family life by deciding to deport him to Georgia without considering the effects of the move on his health and family.
ECtHR: Hungarian Pension Reform Violated Rights

December 20, 2016

The European Court of Human Rights has held that Hungarian legislation amending the eligibility of those receiving disability-related social-security benefits had caused a woman who had lost her pension under the law "to bear an excessive individual burden" and thereby had violated her right to protection of property.