Sondierte Systemwechsel

Das Sondierungspapier von CDU/CSU und SPD enthält eine ebenso kurze wie rätselhafte Passage: „Aus dem ‚Amtsermittlungsgrundsatz‘ muss im Asylrecht der ‚Beibringungsgrundsatz‘ werden“. Sollte ein solcher Systemwechsel im Asylrecht tatsächlich umgesetzt werden, hätte dies eine deutliche Schwächung rechtsstaatlicher Verfahrensgrundsätze zur Folge. Die Amtsermittlung ist ein Schlüsselinstrument zur Sicherung der Gesetzmäßigkeit und Gleichmäßigkeit des Verwaltungshandelns. Gerade im Asylrecht ist es entscheidend, dass der Zugang zum Recht nicht von persönlichen Fähigkeiten und Mitteln abhängig gemacht wird.

13. März 2025

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Mehr Territorialität wagen im Wahlrecht

Die heiß diskutierte und in Karlsruhe nachgebesserte Wahlrechtsreform der einstigen Ampelparteien konnte Ende Februar ihre Feuertaufe bestehen. Jetzt also, da das neue Wahlrecht ausgeurteilt und ausprobiert worden ist, dass es die Prüfung der Gerichte und die der tatsächlichen Anwendung durch 60,5 Millionen Wahlberechtigte überstanden hat, steht die noch gewichtigere Prüfung aus, die des Kairós, der inhaltlichen Richtigkeit in Anbetracht des historischen Zeitpunktes.

13. März 2025

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The Heidelberg Declaration on Transforming Global Meat Governance

Meat is at the center of interrelated environmental and public health crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, pandemics, food insecurity, unhealthy and unsustainable diets, and institutionalized animal suffering. While eating or not eating meat has traditionally been seen as a private choice, it is increasingly becoming a public and political issue, as the social, ecological, and ethical costs of industrialized meat production are becoming more visible and prominent. Scientific evidence is piling indicating the need for a sustainable food system and dietary transitions away from animal-based foods.

13. März 2025

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A PR Stunt Over Accountability

In the previous Law and Justice administration, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) had been significantly compromised. Under the Prosecutor General Ziobro, it systemically pursued political and business opponents, quashed dissent, and silenced critical voices. Well over a year has passed since these dark times have officially ended. Poland’s new government has promised to bring justice to the victims and assure accountability for the prosecutors. The Open Dialogue Foundation has analysed the nation-wide audit of the PPO’s cases and concluded – the reality is disappointing.

12. März 2025

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Balancing on the Edge of Loyalty and Legality

At the end of 2024, the current Dutch government proposed new legislation in the shape of the “asylum crisis measures legislation” and a “two-status-system legislation”. Through advisory reports by the Council for the Judiciary, the broader public was properly introduced to the government’s plans. The reports strongly urge the government not to pursue these proposals for their potential consequences on the judiciary and implementation of the new EU Asylum Pact. Although some of these individual measures may be legal, a holistic approach shows that it is the sum of these parts that finds itself at odds with EU law, balancing on the edge of loyalty and legality.

12. März 2025

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Cross-Border Data Flows and India’s Digital Sovereignty

India’s data protection framework has been in the making for over a decade. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act was passed by Parliament in 2023, and the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules were released in January 2025 for public consultation. In this piece, I argue that the draft Rules do little to clarify India’s murky position on cross-border data flows. The ambiguous wording of the text grants unfettered discretion to the executive in operationalizing the localization mandate. Moreover, the lack of legislative protections for citizen privacy, coupled with missed opportunities to establish robust institutional frameworks undermines India’s own data diplomacy project.

12. März 2025

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Vying for the Scales

One year after the Digital Services Act (DSA) introduced new rules for content moderation, questions remain about their implementation. While platforms must cover the costs of out-of-court dispute resolution, concerns arise over the independence of certified bodies like Appeals Centre Europe (ACE). Despite being accredited by the Irish regulator as independent, ACE has financial and structural ties to Meta, raising questions about its role in the moderation ecosystem. The article examines whether ACE’s certification aligns with the DSA’s independence requirements and what this means for the future of platform accountability in Europe.

12. März 2025

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The Unbearable Lightness of the Unitary Executive Theory

Through the unlawful firing of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and a February 18 executive order, entitled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” President Donald J. Trump is trying to eliminate the independence of independent regulatory agencies. President Trump’s campaign against agency independence is part of his undisguised effort to effectuate a radical dismantling of our checks-and-balances system without actually amending the U.S. Constitution.

11. März 2025

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Parteimitgliedschaft als Ausschlusskriterium

Am 10. Oktober 2024 entschied das Bundesverwaltungsgericht, dass einem Mitglied der Partei „Der III. Weg“ der Zugang zum juristischen Vorbereitungsdienst verwehrt werden müsse. Nachdem zunächst lediglich die Pressemitteilung zur Entscheidung vorlag, wurde das Urteil selbst vor einigen Tagen veröffentlicht. Auch wenn Ergebnis und Begründung aus Leipzig jedenfalls auf den ersten Blick plausibel erscheinen mögen, so wirft das Urteil doch diverse Folgefragen auf.

11. März 2025

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The End of NATO As We Know It

It is frighteningly easy to picture a situation in which President Trump steps off a plane and declares: “I have a paper signed by Mister Putin, there will be peace for our time.” When Neville Chamberlain declared “peace for our time” on 30 September 1938, the world was at war only one year later. Should Russia choose to test the true value of Article 5 NATO-Treaty, this would be the ultimate test for NATO. Europe needs to get serious about acquiring its own nuclear deterrent, entirely independent of the USA.

10. März 2025

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