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EU Reports on Progress Toward "Security Union"
October 24, 2016
The European Commission's first monthly report on progress toward the establishment of a "Security Union" to combat terrorism across the EU focuses on efforts by EU institutions and member states to push through reforms on border security, firearms restrictions, passenger name records, and other items on the Commission's security agenda.
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CoE Body Criticizes Softened Legislation on Polish Judiciary
October 20, 2016
The Council of Europe's body of constitutional experts, the Venice Commission, has criticized a new Polish law on the country's Constitutional Tribunal - responding to objections the Commission raised regarding a previous law - for threatening the independence of the judiciary and challenging the position of the Tribunal as the "final arbiter" on constitutional issues.
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ECtHR: Insurer's Surveillance Violated Privacy Rights
October 20, 2016
The European Court of Human Rights has held that a Swiss company operating a state insurance scheme violated a woman's right to privacy under European human rights law by conducting surveillance of her activities in public places on four separate dates to prove that she was not as incapacitated as she claimed.
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UK, New Zealand Move Toward Post-Brexit Trade Deal
October 20, 2016
The UK and New Zealand have announced that they will hold regular talks on trade policy in order to prepare for the negotiation of a free trade deal between the countries when Britain leaves the EU.
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EU Committee Seeks Strengthened "Rule of Law" Monitoring
October 19, 2016
Politico reports that the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee has adopted a report calling for the creation of a European Pact for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights to provide a "non-politically motivated" mechanism through which EU officials can monitor the justice systems of the bloc's member states.