European Institutions

ECJ Allows Child Benefits for EU Migrants Not Pursuing Jobs

February 13, 2019

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) has ruled that EU migrants are not required to pursue employment in the EU member state in which they live to receive family benefits for children living in another member state.
Economist: “Malthouse Compromise” Offers Path Forward for Brexit

February 13, 2019

Dr. Graham Gudgin of UK think tank Policy Exchange argues that EU institutions would likely accept the provisions of the “Malthouse Compromise” proposed by members of the UK Conservative Party as a free-trade alternative to the government’s current withdrawal deal and its “backstop” provisions that would keep the UK closely tied to EU regulations.
CoE Report Warns of Eroding Press Freedom in Europe

February 12, 2019

Through its Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, the Council of Europe (CoE) has issued a report warning of the “fragile” state of press freedom in Europe due both to the targeting of journalists for violence and harassment and to efforts by governments to control the media.
ECtHR Finds Sanction Against Lawyer “Excessive”

February 12, 2019

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has determined that Portugal violated a lawyer’s right to freedom of expression by imposing what the Court considered to be an excessive fine on the lawyer for questioning the integrity of a judge.
CoE Official Targets Hungary on NGO, Migration Policies

February 12, 2019

Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović has called on the Hungarian government to address its “many interconnected human rights challenges” by, among other things, expanding the space in which NGOs and journalists can work and returning to a “regular asylum procedure” for migrants.