Articles for tag: Rechtsstaatlichkeit, Russischer Krieg gegen die Ukraine, Russland, Schengen, Schengen acquis, Staatsbürgerschaft

Putinism is Contagious

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As Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues, EU Member States are contemplating new sanctions, including Schengen visa bans for Russian citizens. The underlying rationale is the WWI ‘enemy alien’ logic, where all Russian civilians are enemy aliens, and must be treated with suspicion. This populist construction of an ‘enemy alien’ is antithetical to the EU’s constitutional core, which also informs its visa and migration law. The populist retributive logic, to us, is a stress-test of the rule of law in the EU. It’s good news that, outside Estonia and Latvia, it seems to be holding strong in other Member States.

19. August 2022

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In dubio pro libertate?

Auch wenn touristische Reisen in die Europäische Union im Zusammenhang mit den kriegerischen Verbrechen Russlands in der Ukraine wie Nebenschauplatz erscheinen mögen – hier geht es um etwas. Angesichts der schrecklichen Verbrechen der russischen Armee in der Ukraine erscheint das touristische Reisen und das Beharren darauf, dass dieses Recht nicht einzuschränken sei, kaum nachvollziehbar. Rein legalistische Argumentation verdeckt, dass das Recht immer auch ein Instrument zur Durchsetzung politischer Interessen ist.

19. August 2022

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Why Banning Russian Tourists from Schengen Might not Be Unlawful

Recently, politicians in different EU countries have suggested barring Russian tourists from visiting the EU. Such a ban would be in retaliation for the war waged by Russia against Ukraine. From a legal perspective, these suggestions raise the interesting question whether such a blanket ban would be lawful. From a legal perspective, the question is precisely whether there is a possibility to amend the existing acquis, in order to ban Russians from obtaining short term visas for the purpose of visiting Europe as tourists. It seems hardly tenable to argue that the EU (secondary) legislature is somehow bound by the ratio legis of the current Schengen visa system.

17. August 2022

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Heated tempers and legal ambiguities

After some heads of EU governments advocated for an all-out ban of Russian nationals’ Schengen visas, a heated academic and political debate arose over the question whether the EU could bar Russians from acquiring visas for a short-term stay in the Schengen area. Could a sweeping travel ban for Russian citizens be justified in the light of EU law? This blogpost advises caution.

17. August 2022

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Why Restricting Tourist Visas to Russians is Legitimate

In the aftermath of Ukrainian President Zelenski’s call on the EU to introduce a ban on short-term ‘tourist’ visas for Russians wishing to travel the Schengen area, a lively debate on the issue erupted, featuring important interventions not last on this website. For instance, Sarah Ganty argues that an EU tourist visa ban would be ethically wrong and unlawful. However, there is no absolute right to travel through the EU.

16. August 2022

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Why Banning Russians from Schengen Is Unlawful

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Prime Minister of Finland and others have been calling for an EU-wide ban of Russian citizens from Schengen visas. Unquestionably, the horrible crimes perpetrated by the Russian state should be punished. But Russians are citizens of a totalitarian state, they are not Putin. And whether we like it or not, there is no legal way under current EU law to adopt a blanket citizenship-based ban against Russians acquiring Schengen visas. Even more: political attention paid to it by persons in leadership positions is deeply surprising, if not irresponsible.

12. August 2022

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Serbia on Hold

Since 3 April 2022, when elections at all levels were held, Serbia has been on hold. Two months after the elections, only the President of Serbia has begun to serve his regular mandate, while the official results of the parliamentary elections are yet to be proclaimed, the new composition of the National Assembly is yet to be convened, and the new government is yet to be formed. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which occurred at the beginning of the election campaign, added to the already tense political situation.

13. Juni 2022

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Jenseits der Oligarchen

Die von der Europäischen Union beschlossenen Russland-Sanktionen haben auch in Deutschland erhebliche Defizite bei deren Umsetzung offengelegt. Mit dem Ersten Gesetz zur effektiveren Durchsetzung von Sanktionen vom 23. Mai 2022 sollen in einem ersten Schritt vor allem kurzfristig behebbare Lücken beim Auffinden sanktionierten Vermögens geschlossen werden. Es erscheint nicht übertrieben, das Gesetz als Beginn einer weitreichenden Veränderung des deutschen Sicherheitsrechts zu begreifen. Doch obwohl die Stoßrichtung des Sanktionsdurchsetzungsgesetzes im Grundsatz zu begrüßen ist, mangelt es dem Gesetz an einer klaren strategischen Zielsetzung und einem rechtlich stimmigen Regelungskonzept.

31. Mai 2022

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Russian Crown-Presidentialism

Many studying Russia have pointed to Vladimir Putin’s deliberate cultivation of charismatic authority through carefully staged photo ops and messaging campaigns. Yet, Putin’s power also draws on rational-legal authority. Putin draws his authority from detailed, constitutional rules that allow the president to dominate the Russian political system. The surprising importance of rational-legal authority in Putin’s Russia carries a number of important lessons for better understanding Russia and the role of constitutional rules in democratic governance.

20. April 2022

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Whatever It Takes

Deutschland wehrt sich in Brüssel mit Händen und Füßen gegen ein Gasembargo. Doch ob am Ende nicht doch die energierechtliche Notfallkaskade greifen muss, ist aktuell schwer abzusehen. Wie drastisch der Staat, kommt es hart auf hart, das öffentliche Leben einschränken kann, hat in den letzten beiden Jahren schon die Pandemie offengelegt. Nun zwingt der Angriffskrieg Russlands die Bundesrepublik ein weiteres Mal über sein Recht für den Krisenfall nachzudenken.

12. April 2022

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