Articles for category: Europa

Rote Ampel für Geisterfahrer

Der „Neustart der Geisterfahrer“, wie Kurt Graulich die nach der Digital Rights Ireland-Entscheidung entfachte Debatte über die Vorratsdatenspeicherung beschrieb und damit die Intensität der Auseinandersetzung zwischen Befürwortern und Gegner gut einfing, hat auf den ersten Blick ihr vorläufiges und erwartbares Ende in Luxemburg gefunden. Dass die Entscheidung hier besprochen wird, bedeutet keinesfalls, dass sie neuartige Impulse bringt oder, wie der Bundesjustizminister meint, (in einem rechtlichen Sinne) „historisch“ sei. Denn die Unionsrechtswidrigkeit der deutschen Vorratsdatenspeicherung war spätestens ab 2016 deutlich.

21. September 2022

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Missing Freedom Act

The European Commission is due to present its Media Freedom Act (MFA) this week. The MFA is not welcomed by several states, for different reasons. Some fear that their current system of media freedom and pluralism will be compromised. Others worry that their captured media scene will be exposed and investigated. Both types of opponents can relax because the Media Freedom Act draft is as impactful as a light breeze. It only scratches the surface, and important safeguards are missing.

15. September 2022

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Jetzt das Strommarktdesign auf Erneuerbare ausrichten

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Der starke Anstieg der Strom- und Gaspreise in den vergangenen Wochen und Monaten hat nicht nur in Deutschland Sorge vor wirtschaftlichen Folgen sowie Strom- und Gasengpässen ausgelöst. Neben den Entlastungspaketen der Bundesregierung sind auch auf europäischer Ebene verschiedene Maßnahmen getroffen worden, um den Preisanstieg und dessen Auswirkungen zu begrenzen. So hat insbesondere die Europäische Kommission ein Maßnahmenpaket für nachhaltige Energie in Europa vorgestellt und verschiedene Einzelmaßnahmen, etwa die Senkung der Großhandelspreise auf dem iberischen Strommarkt, genehmigt.

12. September 2022

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Frontex and ›Algorithmic Discretion‹ (Part I)

This contribution, presented in two parts, offers a predictive glimpse into future rule of law challenges due to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s (Frontex) primary responsibility for the automated processing and screening rules of the soon-to-be-operational European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) at the EU’s external borders. . In Part I on legality, I argue that the ETIAS screening rules algorithm illustrates how automation can lead to what I suggest is a new form of arbitrariness – which I refer to as ‘algorithmic discretion’. This can be defined as a situation where the exercise of power and discretion and their limitations are not sufficiently specified at the legislative level but are delegated to an algorithm instead.

10. September 2022

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Frontex and Data Protection

Frontex has become notorious for its multiple fundamental rights violations, including pushbacks. The problem of fundamental rights infringements associated with the Agency has been lasting for years, leading ultimately to the resignation of the Executive Director. What I argue in this post is, first, that the fundamental right to the protection of personal data by Frontex has not yet received sufficient attention by scholars and EU institutions. Second, data protection within the Agency needs to be strengthened to prevent any future new scandals.

9. September 2022

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Financial Scrutiny of Frontex as a Political Accountability Tool

An investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) on allegations of misconduct within Frontex ended with a report classified as confidential, which was therefore only accessible to the agency’s Management Board. Shortly after submission of the report, Frontex’ Executive Director (ED), Fabrice Leggeri, resigned, opening up a new cycle in the governance of the agency. Following up on this, the European Parliament (EP) decided to postpone the discharge of Frontex’ budget on the ground of lacking information with regard to the subject of the OLAF report. In this contribution, I argue that the EP’s refusal to approve the discharge of the budget of Frontex, even though having little impact on the financial stability of the agency, is a tool to enable the political accountability of Frontex.

8. September 2022

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European Oversight on Frontex

The scandals about the complicity of Frontex in human rights violations in autumn 2020 exposed weaknesses in the accountability system. In this blog, I will elaborate on this by presenting the rules governing democratic accountability, followed by an analysis of the lessons learned during the parliamentary inquiry on Frontex’ human rights-related performances, in the light of their obligations. I will conclude with ideas on how to strengthen democratic accountability, and how to expand it to the much-needed public accountability of Frontex. 

8. September 2022

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Here We Stand

On Sunday, 28 August 2022, four major associations of European judges announced that they would challenge the Council’s Decision of 17 June that releases funds to Poland to help it recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The four associations are seeking to prevent the release of recovery funds to Poland until it has complied with the Court’s judgments in full. Whether their action has any chance of success will depend on how the Court applies the long-standing Plaumann criteria.

7. September 2022

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A New European Political Community: The British Perspective

The upcoming State of the Union address scheduled for 14 September and the succession of Liz Truss as UK Prime Minister looks set to be a potential turning point in EU relations. But will the EU grasp it? Could a new intergovernmental political forum – acting alongside EU enlargement – ease the tension of EU treaty change? Such a forum might bridge the potential role prospective EU member states in Eastern Europe could play before formally joining and the necessity of forging a constructive post-Brexit relationship with the UK. It could resolve political and constitutional concerns.

6. September 2022

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