Articles for category: AAA General

Eine neue Verfassungsordnung in Südafrika

Die Ära der absoluten Mehrheiten im demokratischen Südafrika ist vorbei. Nachdem der African National Congress sechs aufeinanderfolgende Wahlen über einen Zeitraum von 30 Jahren mit absoluter Mehrheit gewonnen hatte, erhielt die Partei am 29. Mai 2024 zum ersten Mal weniger als 50% der Stimmen. Der ANC bleibt stärkste Partei. Am Abend des 14. Juni wählte die südafrikanische Nationalversammlung den ANC-Parteichef Cyril Ramaphosa in seine zweite Amtszeit als Präsident des Landes. Doch Politik und Verfassungsstaatlichkeit in Südafrika haben sich fundamental geändert.

18. Juni 2024

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A New Constitutional Order in South Africa

The dominant party era in democratic South Africa is over. After winning absolute majorities in six consecutive national elections spanning thirty years, on 29 May 2024 the African National Congress (ANC) fell below 50% of the vote for the first time. The ANC remains the largest party. On the evening of 14 June, the National Assembly elected ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term as the country’s president. But South Africa politics, and its constitutionalism, have changed fundamentally.

18. Juni 2024

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Restitution durch Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit

Die Restitution nationalsozialistischer Raubkunst beschäftigt uns seit Jahrzehnten. Entgegen vieler Stimmen aus dem öffentlichen Recht liegen gegenwärtig im Feld der Restitution nationalsozialistischer Raubkunst die größten versöhnungspolitischen Chancen nicht darin, ein „Restitutionsgesetz“ anzustreben, sondern vielmehr darin, die bestehenden Möglichkeiten „privatautonomer“ Streitbeilegung durch Errichtung einer Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit auszuschöpfen.

17. Juni 2024

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Louise Weiss

When you hear the name 'Louise Weiss', you may think of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg that bears her name, or of her election to the first European Parliament and her inaugural speech. What may not come to mind is the woman Louise Weiss herself and the outstanding achievements throughout her life. This brief profile is a reminder that she should be remembered for her tireless search for peace, her tireless fight for women's rights, her endless humanitarian work and for being truly 'European'.

17. Juni 2024

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Why an EU Country under the Surveillance Procedure (Article 7.1 TEU) Should not Chair the Council Presidency

In accordance with the Council Decision on the exercise of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, from July 1 of this year the office is to be held by Hungary. This occasion will mark the first time that the Presidency will have been held by a Member State that has been subject to the “surveillance” procedure in Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union, having been launched by the European Parliament in September 2018. It would now be both prudent and sensible for the Council to delay the Hungarian Presidency to such a time when the Article 7(1) TEU surveillance procedure will have been successfully concluded. Such a postponement should not be considered as a sanction against Hungary, but rather a simple precautionary measure to preserve the smooth functioning of the European Union.

17. Juni 2024

›Relevant Rules‹ as Normative Environment

On 21 May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered its much anticipated Advisory Opinion on Climate Change. This post zeroes in on one particular interpretative issue, and its wider ramifications for the development of international law, namely the Tribunal’s approach to Article 31(3)(c) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) (which enshrines the principle of systemic integration) in connection with the interpretation of UNCLOS. Although ITLOS did not elaborate in detail on its approach, as can be seen from its entire analysis, the Tribunal has demonstrated a clear and principled choice with respect to the content and application of Article 31(3)(c) VCLT and its customary counterpart.

16. Juni 2024

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Without Fear or Favour

Germany, like any other State Party to the Rome Statute, would be obliged under international law, and would be capable under German law, to arrest any person against whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant, be it President Putin or, in future, perhaps one of the Hamas leaders, Defence Minister Gallant or Prime Minister Netanyahu. The opposing view not only misrepresents the current state of international law, but it also contradicts the Nuremberg legacy, which must be upheld particularly by Germany.

14. Juni 2024

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