Law & Justice

EU Council Publishes Foreign-Policy Guidelines on Discrimination

April 22, 2019

The Council of the EU has published a set of guidelines on applying EU law on non-discrimination to the bloc’s external action, placing a responsibility on EU foreign-policy officials to pressure countries around the world to adopt the bloc’s broad anti-discrimination legislation, including on the prohibition of “hate speech.”
ECJ: “Extreme Poverty” Is Factor in Intra-EU Refugee Transfers

April 22, 2019

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) has ruled that EU member states are not permitted to return asylum seekers to different member states that would normally be responsible for processing their applications if the “expected” living conditions of the latter country could expose the asylum seeker to “extreme material poverty.”
EC Proposes Bloc-wide Strategy on 5G Security

April 10, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has adopted a set of recommendations proposing a coordinated EU approach on the security of 5G networks, including a call for EU members to complete 5G “risk assessments,” the establishment of a Cooperation Group advising the EU on security measures, and participation in an EU-wide 5G certification scheme.
CoE Body Issues Standards on Foreign Funding of NGOs

April 04, 2019

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) body of constitutional experts, called the Venice Commission, has adopted a report containing international standards on the right of nongovernmental organizations to receive foreign funding, in light of restrictions on such funding in countries including Ukraine, Hungary, and Russia.
CoE Body Finds Faults with Hungarian Administrative Courts

April 04, 2019

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) advisory body on constitutional law, known as the Venice Commission, has critiqued the Hungarian Parliament’s creation of a system of administrative courts for granting the Justice Minister broad appointment powers and giving Parliament the authority to select the President of the top administrative court.
EC Announces "Reflection Process" on Rule of Law Framework

April 03, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has launched a “reflection process” among EU institutions and member states on maintaining the rule of law in the bloc, through promotional efforts, “early prevention,” and effectively tailoring responses to specific countries, leading up to recommendations it will propose in June.
EC Accuses Poland, Romania of Meddling in Judicial Systems

April 03, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has opened a new legal case accusing the Polish government of violating EU law by subjecting judges to “political control” in disciplinary procedures and has warned the Romanian government against disrupting the country’s judicial system through anti-corruption legislation.
CoE Manual Guides Authorities on “Intercultural” Policing

March 27, 2019

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) Intercultural Cities programme has published a manual on “Intercultural Community Policing” to guide police across Europe how to deal with conflicts arising out of spreading racism, xenophobia, “hate speech,” Islamophobia, and detrimental “political rhetoric” in urban communities.
Diplomats: EU Rule of Law “Peer Review” Process Gains Steam

March 20, 2019

German and Belgian diplomats have reported that over 20 EU member states recently backed a proposal for a bloc-wide “peer-review mechanism” through which governments would spotlight alleged political interference with the rule of law in other EU countries.
EC Files Legal Complaint Against Italy over Pollution

March 13, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has referred Italy to the Court of Justice of the EU over the government’s failure to comply with EU legislation on reducing air and water pollution, following similar cases filed against France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in 2018.