European Institutions

ECJ Official: EU-Canada Passenger Records Violate Rights

September 16, 2016

Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi of the Court of Justice of the EU has advised that the agreement between the EU and Canada to maintain a database of passenger name record data to combat terrorism and transnational crime violates the fundamental rights of citizens in EU countries due to the lack of certain privacy safeguards.
ECtHR: UK Violated Terror Suspect's Right to Counsel

September 16, 2016

In a case involving the aftermath of an attempted bombing of London's underground train system, the European Court of Human Rights has held that the British police violated a witness's right to legal assistance in questioning him about what he knew of the attempted attacks without offering him legal advice after they suspected that he was involved.
Report Suggests Monitoring Mechanism on EU Values

September 16, 2016

A report from the European Parliamentary Research Service examining proposals from Member of the European Parliament Sophie in 't Veld recommends that the EU consider creating a "pact" through which European institutions could "monitor and enforce" democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights in the EU member states.
Governments Propose Centralized EU Defense Structure

September 16, 2016

EUobserver reports that officials from the French and German governments have released a paper for discussion at an EU summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, on expanding military defense cooperation across the bloc by, among other things, centralizing command of EU military missions in a joint EU headquarters.
Bulgarian Official Seeks Accession to Euro, Schengen

September 16, 2016

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev has called for his government and EU officials to take further steps toward permitting Bulgaria to join the euro currency, blamed by some critics as stifling growth in small economies, and the passport-free Schengen travel area.