Law & Justice

Germany Pushes for New EU Data Directive

January 20, 2015

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the European Commission to draft a new EU directive setting out a minimum data retention period to permit police to access the records of terrorism suspects.
ECJ Ruling Weakens U.K. Immigration Restrictions

December 31, 2014

The Court of Justice of the EU ("ECJ") has invalidated the U.K.'s blanket requirement that non-European family members of EU citizens who obtain a residence card from another EU country must acquire a British visa before entering the country.
Court Removes Hamas from EU Terror List

December 24, 2014

The second-highest court of the EU has reversed the EU's designation of the Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization on the ground that EU officials made the designation merely on the basis of news and internet reports.
ECJ Rules Obesity May Be a Disability

December 24, 2014

Critics in the U.K. have expressed concern over increased costs for and regulation of businesses following a ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU ("ECJ") that obesity can constitute a disability under EU discrimination law.
EU Gains Police and Justice Authority

December 03, 2014

Under the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the EU have recently gained new authority to oversee the police and justice systems of the EU member states and to sanction countries that do not comply with EU justice policy.
ECJ Ruling Pressures Countries on Diesel Regulation

November 26, 2014

The BBC reports that the Court of Justice of the EU ("ECJ") has ruled that national judges must force their Governments to impose strict controls on emissions from diesel-powered engines in European cities.
European Arrest Warrant Opponents File Legal Action

November 12, 2014

The Independent reports that following the U.K. Government's sidestepping of a vote on the European Arrest Warrant, which facilitates the deportation of alleged criminals to other EU countries, opponents have filed an action with the High Court seeking an injunction against adoption of the warrant.
ECJ Upholds Restriction on Social Benefits to Migrants

November 12, 2014

The Court of Justice of the EU has issued a decision upholding a German law restricting a Romanian immigrant from accessing unemployment benefits when she made no effort to find a job, prompting some to interpret the ruling as an affirmation of national policies limiting migrants' access to social benefits.
Howarth: No Need for EU Criminal Justice System

November 12, 2014

Prior to the U.K. House of Commons vote on EU law and justice measures, Christopher Howarth explains the opposition to the European Arrest Warrant as the recognition that there is no reason cooperation with European neighbors on justice measures "should entail creating an EU criminal justice system."
Official Finds Military Deserters Can Claim Asylum in EU

November 12, 2014

The Advocate General for the Court of Justice of the EU has issued an opinion finding that a former maintenance mechanic in the U.S. military could legally claim asylum in Germany if he considered himself at risk of punishment for failure to perform services that might result in war crimes.