Enlarging the Hole in the Fence of Migrants‹ Rights

With the judgment in A.A. and others v. North Macedonia, the European Court of Human Rights further branches out the creative exception to the prohibition of collective expulsions and turns it into an obligation to offer a place to apply for asylum somewhere at the border. But not only are these legal access points for asylum applications often de facto restricted, the ever more creative exceptions to rights of the Convention and its Protocols threatens the credibility and authority of the Court.

How Canada Capitalizes on Ukrainian Refugees

For those fleeing the war in Ukraine, Canada launched a new temporary residence pathway, the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program on March 17, 2022. Offered in conjunction with a special family reunification program, CUAET is open to an unlimited number of Ukrainians regardless of their existing ties to Canada. While seemingly an open and benevolent gesture, Ukrainians are welcomed inside the Canadian nation not as humanitarian subjects but primarily as workers to potentially contribute to the Canadian economy.

Passportization

Putin’s alleged arguments to conduct a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine revolve around protecting the people of the Donbas, including citizens of the Russian Federation, “facing humiliation and genocide.” One of the tools Russia used to justify its political and military engagement in the post-Soviet space has been passportization. This policy effectively created Russian citizens in the contested territories of neighbouring states in the context of protracted conflicts of secession. Just as in Georgia, passportization worked as a tool of interference with Ukrainian sovereignty.

Coalitions, Activities, Strategies

The Federal Republic’s previous policy of ‘strategic restraint’ has been justified mainly - and rightly - on historical grounds; however, it also has to do with the legal parameters set by international security law and the German constitutional law on military affairs. We should take this legal framework into account when we explore the options for a fundamental reorientation of security and defence policy and a departure from ‘strategic restraint’.

Koalitionen, Aktivitäten, Strategien

Die bisherige „strategische Zurückhaltung“ der Bundesrepublik ist sicherlich maßgeblich und zu Recht historisch begründet; sie hat aber auch mit den durch das internationale Sicherheitsrecht und das Wehrverfassungsrecht gesetzten Rahmenbedingungen zu tun. Diese Rahmenbedingungen muss man einbeziehen, wenn man die Chancen für eine grundsätzlichere sicherheits- und verteidigungspolitische Neuausrichtung und eine „Abkehr“ von der „strategischen Zurückhaltung“ ausloten will.

Not the Time for Carrots?

Issuing ‘golden’ passports and residence permits to non-Europeans in return for investment in their national economy has always been controversial. Now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these deals have attracted new attention. Since Russians account for a significant share of the customers, there have been widespread calls, including from the European Parliament, for an end to this practice. Can the EU do anything about this?

The Oligarchs Among Us

It is no secret that Russian oligarchs have not only been collecting fancy toys but also various golden passport, that not only have allowed them to make them feel like home in the Europe Union, but also to be a part of “us”. And since the spotlight is already shifting towards how it is that some of these Russian oligarchs are indeed “our” very own oligarchs, there will be questions of what it is that validates the legal status of nationality actually. It is an old question to be fair, but the apparent answer of the day that nationality is what any State makes of it is therefore no less unconvincing and should lead to some soul searching.

Über die Grenzen des Rechts

Der Angriffskrieg Putins gegen die Ukraine hat in den vergangenen Tagen eine Welle der Empathie und Solidarität ausgelöst. Die Reaktionen haben aber auch deutlich gemacht, dass es Hierarchien darin gibt, wem solche Empathie und Solidarität entgegengebracht wird – und wem eher nicht. Diese Hierarchien sind Ausdruck von strukturellen und institutionellen Rassismen. Das Recht hat in diesem Zusammenhang eine ambivalente Rolle, indem es zugleich rassistische Strukturen (re)produziert und dazu einlädt, eben diese zu hinterfragen und zu überwinden.

A Tale of Two Borders

Poland has an over 500 km long border with Ukraine and – right next to it – an over 400 km long border with Belarus. At the border with Ukraine, tens of thousands of persons are crossing each day, and the authorities are making a huge effort to make the crossing smooth. At the border with Ukraine, tens of thousands of persons are crossing each day, and the authorities are making a huge effort to make the crossing smooth. At the border with Belarus, people who are trying to cross into Poland are still forced to wander in minus temperatures through thick woods.

A Profit that Creates Loss

The recent UK Supreme Court judgment of 2 February 2022 continues to exclude children from citizenship rights. The Court's decision is built on the idea that British citizenship is a statutory right rather than being based on common law or human rights law. As a consequence, the court's focus was on statutory interpretation instead of child welfare. The profit made from the children’s registration fees is at the expense of children who remain excluded from citizenship.