EU-Verfassungsrecht, verfassungsrechtlicher Rahmen der europäischen Integration und Mehrebenenverfassungsrecht. Umfasst EU-Institutionenrecht, Grundfreiheiten, EU-Grundrechte, verfassungsrechtliche Aspekte der EU-Mitgliedschaft und das Verhältnis zwischen EU-Recht und nationalen Verfassungsordnungen.
The EC’s 2024 Rule of Law report is yet another indicator of the deterioration of constitutional standards in Slovakia. Next to outlining selected key developments of Slovakia’s illiberalization in 2024, this post underscores how the small jurisdiction’s size in combination with its relatively isolated doctrinal legal academia could hamper the development of robust democratic constitutional discourse and thus legal academics’ contribution to democracy.
Over the past ten months, the Fico IV government in Slovakia has intensified its assault on democratic principles, revealing deep vulnerabilities in our legal system. This article examines the government’s four key strategies to consolidate power and weaken civil society: undermining judicial independence, expediting the legislative process, attacking civil society organizations, and exerting political control over independent institutions, particularly the public broadcaster RTVS.
In December 2023 the Hungarian Parliament speedily adopted the Act on the Protection of National Sovereignty and by February 2024 the government had already designated the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) for its enforcement. The history repeats itself, first time as tragedy, second time as farce. The current activities of the SPO exemplify the Hungarian government’s ongoing efforts to undermine free and independent society. It is crucial for the Union and European civil society to once again act swiftly to prevent the harassment of journalists and the potential disappearance of NGOs.
In Deutschland wird die Regierungsbeteiligung einer rechtsextremen Partei zumindest auf Landesebene ein immer realistischeres Szenario. In so einem Fall könnte die EU mit fast allen ihren Instrumenten auch gegen die autoritäre Regierung eines Bundeslandes vorgehen – selbst wenn sich die Bundesregierung weiter an EU-Recht hielte. Das Zurückhalten von EU-Fördergeldern wäre das effektivste Mittel der EU, um die Rechtstaatlichkeit auf regionaler Ebene zu schützen.
Die Dublin-Regeln verlieren nicht deshalb ihre rechtliche Bindungswirkung, weil sie praktisch schlecht funktionieren. Im Europarecht gilt nicht das völkerrechtliche Prinzip eines „Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn“, wonach ein Land eine Verpflichtung missachten darf, weil andere Länder dasselbe machen. Zahlreiche Urteile des EuGH bekräftigen seit Jahren, dass die Dublin-Regeln trotz aller Defizite verbindlich sind. Die Politik muss Gesetze ändern, die ihr nicht gefallen.
In 1995, the Bosman ruling put an end to transfer fees for out-of-contract players. This year, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) is dealing with the Diarra case, which concerns players still under contract. The Advocate General has already given the Opinion, which suggests that the upcoming CJEU's ruling will further weaken the transfer system. I argue that both rulings focus too much on the labour market and the freedom of movement of workers and neglect the fact that the football transfer system enhances competition in consumer markets at the benefit of smaller clubs and the football fans.
„Goodbye Vorratsdatenspeicherung“, kommentierte die frühere Bundesjustizministerin Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger vor vier Jahren die damalige Entscheidung des Europäischen Gerichtshofs auf dem Verfassungsblog. Sein jüngstes Urteil von Anfang Mai 2024 zeigt hingegen, dass sich solch apodiktische Aussagen in der Rechtspolitik nicht treffen lassen. Das Maß der Bedrohung bestimmt die Verhältnismäßigkeit der Mittel – beides unterliegt dem fortwährenden Wandel der Zeit.
In the small village of Nyírmártonfalva in northeastern Hungary, there stands a wooden treetop walkway designed for walking among the tree canopies. Yet, there are no trees around. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated proceedings to investigate this allegedly fraudulent appropriation of the EU common budget. In early August 2024, the Hungarian Office of the Prosecutor General rejected EPPO's jurisdiction. Nonetheless, the EPPO has jurisdiction according to the result theory, accepted also in Hungary, due to the place where the result of an offence occurs.
GDPR provides the rulebook for international transfers of personal data from the EU and serves as the vehicle through which EU data protection law interacts with the wider world. However, the EU seems ambivalent about deciding how far it can expect third countries to adopt data protection standards similar to its own. Moreover, DPAs often fail to scrutinize data transfers to third countries that may lack the rule of law. Finally, the EU lacks a comparative methodology for assessing data protection equivalence in third countries. It is essential for the EU to elevate the public discourse so that the global significance of data transfers is recognized.
With the third review of the EU Common Position on Exports of Military Technology and Equipment (EU Common Position) well underway, there is a critical opportunity to align this document with international instruments that incorporate gender considerations in the arms trade. In light of this, the post examines the increasing integration of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) within arms trade legal frameworks and calls for the EU Common Position to explicitly reference gender beyond its already present human rights considerations.
13. September 2025
Giovanni Capoccia
12. September 2025
Anne Peters
12. September 2025
Anne Peters