The European Court of Human Rights as a Guardian of EU Law In Europa Way S.r.l. v. Italy, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered its judgment on 27 November 2025. For the first time, the ECtHR required domestic courts of EU Member States to set aside national legislation that is incompatible with EU law, thereby aligning itself with the strand of case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) dating... Mehr

On 6 January 2026, European leaders including President Macron, Chancellor Merz, and Prime Ministers Meloni, Tusk, Sánchez, Starmer, and Frederiksen issued a joint declaration reaffirming that: “Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and is critical for international and transatlantic security.” Far from mere diplomatic formality, the declaration marked the strongest expression of European solidarity with Denmark and Greenland to date, responding to President Trump’s escalating threat to annex Greenland. While the EU and... Mehr

On December 4, 2025, Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior imposed a one-year ban on Xiaohongshu (Rednote), a Chinese social media platform, which has become an important source of everyday information, particularly for younger users in Taiwan. Invoking fraud-prevention concerns, the Ministry instructed the Taiwan Network Information Center to implement DNS Response Policy Zone blocking, which prevents the resolution of Xiaohongshu’s domain name. Taiwan’s approximately three million Xiaohongshu users can now access the platform only through... Mehr

Regardless of whether the US administration’s renewed threat to annex Greenland materializes, its multiple legal ramifications warrant serious analysis under public international law and within the EU legal order as mediated by Danish domestic law. President Trump has not only refused to rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland but has also repeatedly doubled down on his annexation ambitions, transforming what might once have been dismissed as rhetorical provocation into a credible... Mehr

In der Nacht vom 2. auf den 3. Januar ließ US‑Präsident Donald Trump Spezialkräfte nach Caracas einfliegen, Nicolás Maduro aus dem Bett holen und per Militärmaschine vor ein Bundesgericht in Manhattan bringen. Auf dem Papier geht es um die Vollstreckung eines „Narcoterrorismus“-Haftbefehls; in der Praxis wird ein Strafverfahren zum Deckmantel für eine einseitige Militärintervention auf fremdem Staatsgebiet. Kurz darauf erklärte Trump, die einzige Grenze seiner globalen Eingriffe sei seine eigene Moral – nicht die UN-Charta,... Mehr

Anmerkungen zum Beschluss des Zweiten Senats des Bundesverfassungsgerichts vom 29.9.2025, 2 BvR 934/19 – Egenberger „Doomsday“ ist ausgefallen. Die schaurige Faszination für den Rechtskonflikt, die einige Beobachter aus Medien und Rechtswissenschaft teilen, erhält keine neue Nahrung. Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hat mit seinem langerwarteten Beschluss in der Sache Egenberger eine kluge und ausgewogene Entscheidung getroffen. Es hat weder das kirchliche Arbeitsrecht musealisiert und seine etablierte Rechtsprechung aufgegeben, noch eine Kraftprobe mit dem Europäischen Gerichtshof begonnen und den... Mehr

The EU Court of Justice and the Right to Be Free from Religious Discrimination Little EU Court of Justice (CJEU) case law has been as fiercely criticised as that relating to the right to be free from religious discrimination (including Cavalcanti, Pin, Henrard, and Howard in this Symposium). However, the CJEU recently found a sympathiser in Ronan McCrea. He argues that, given “the inevitable uncertainty produced by rapid and unprecedented religious change in Europe, it... Mehr

Egenberger Strengthens Both: Corporate Religious Self-determination and EU Law “Doomsday” did not occur. The ghastly fascination with this legal conflict, shared by some observers in the media and in legal scholarship, has not been given new fuel. With its long-awaited order in the Egenberger case, the German Federal Constitutional Court has delivered a prudent and balanced decision. It has neither musealized ecclesiastical labour law and abandoned its established case law, nor initiated a trial of... Mehr

The Announced U.S. Withdrawal from Many International Entities On January 7, President Trump issued a memorandum, “Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States.”  The memorandum lists 66 entities for withdrawal, many of which are connected to the United Nations. This is another dramatic signal from the Trump Administration. It shows scorn for the global commons and disdain for the United Nations. The... Mehr

As regular readers of Verfassungsblog will know, much of what we deal with revolves around various forms of crises: faltering democracies, weakened courts, and an international legal order that seems to be unravelling before our eyes. The stories you read here are rarely uplifting. It is important to tell them, but crisis narratives are not without their hazards. They can paralyse, obscure structural problems, and, over time, erode our imaginative capacities. Rather than encouraging fresh... Mehr

Als Leser:in des Verfassungsblogs werden Sie wissen, dass es bei uns viel um Krisen geht: um taumelnde Demokratien, geschwächte Gerichte und ein Völkerrecht, das vor unseren Augen zerfällt. Die Geschichten, die Sie bei uns lesen, sind meist wenig erbaulich. Es ist wichtig, sie zu erzählen, aber Krisennarrative können auch gefährlich sein. Sie können lähmen, strukturelle Probleme verschleiern und unsere Vorstellungskraft rauben. Statt über Neues nachzudenken, treiben sie uns in die Defensive, im schlimmsten Falle in... Mehr

How Belarus Turns Police Cooperation Into A Tool Of Transnational Repression And Creates Constitutional Challenges For Europe When Belarusian filmmaker and activist Andrei Hnyot was detained at a Serbian border crossing in October 2023, the charges seemed routine: tax evasion. But Hnyot had fled Belarus after participating in the 2020 protests, and the Interpol Red Notice that triggered his arrest originated from Minsk. Despite intervention by the European Parliament and credible evidence of political motivation,... Mehr

A Look Ahead at the Oral Proceedings in The Gambia v Myanmar at the ICJ On 12 January 2026, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will commence the oral proceedings in Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v Myanmar). Over the course of three weeks, the ICJ will hear arguments concerning The Gambia’s claim (which was lodged with the Court in 2019) that Myanmar’s treatment... Mehr

George Gavriel and the Politics of Offence under Article 10 ECHR An art exhibition by Cypriot artist George Gavriel was cancelled last month following intense political and social reactions after its inauguration. Officials from the country’s conservative party DISY dismissed the paintings as obscenity and rejected freedom of expression as a justification. Far-right ELAM went further by calling for legal action, framing the works as a direct attack on faith and societal values. These allegations... Mehr

by TJORBEN STUDTDie Berichte über ein double-tapping Vorgehen und einen mutmaßlichen „kill them all“-Befehl beim Angriff auf venezolanische Boote in der Karibik offenbarten bereits Ende 2025 den zunehmenden US-amerikanischen Völkerrechtsnihilismus. Der militärische Angriff auf Venezuela am 3. Januar 2026 und die Entführung von Nicolás Maduro markieren den Höhepunkt des offenen Bruchs mit dem Völkerrecht. Die rechtliche Einordnung des Vorgehens ist nicht komplex, sondern eindeutig: völkerrechtswidrig. Ein Schweigen der demokratischen Staatengemeinschaft droht diesen Rechtsbruch zu normalisieren... Mehr

Eine verfassungsrechtliche Einordnung der Videoüberwachung an kriminalitätsbelasteten Orten Kriminalitätsbelastete Orte (kbOs) sind seit jeher Zonen verdichteter Kontrolle. Mit der jüngsten Berliner ASOG-Novelle werden sie nun auch zu Zonen verdichteter Datenerhebung. Automatisierte Videoüberwachung und algorithmische Verhaltenserkennung (§ 24e ASOG) bringen erhebliche Eingriffe in das Recht auf informationelle Selbstbestimmung (Art. 2 I iVm Art. 1 I GG). Eine Einhegung der Diskriminierungsanfälligkeit kriminalitätsbelasteter Orte hätte die neuen Befugnisse verfassungsfester ausgestalten können. Im Ergebnis dürfte es jedoch bei einer... Mehr

Entgrenzungen im Polizeirecht durch intelligente Gefahrenermittlung am Beispiel des SächsPVDG-E Sachsen hat mit seinem Referentenentwurf zum neuen Polizeigesetz im Oktober 2025 einen umfassenden Befugniskatalog vorgelegt, der bundesweit zur Blaupause für weitere Gesetzesinitiativen der Länder werden kann. Das ist insoweit problematisch, als dass die neuen Befugnisse zur intelligenten Datenverarbeitung eine historische Transformation polizeilicher Gefahraufklärung markieren, deren geplantes Ausmaß mit verfassungsrechtlichen Vorgaben nicht vereinbar ist. Die geplante „Algorithmisierung“ polizeilicher Datenverarbeitung entgrenzt Eingriffsbefugnisse zulasten der Grundrechtsträger:innen, schafft neuartige... Mehr

How the Omnibus I Package Systematically Dismantles EU Corporate Accountability On December 16, 2025, the European Parliament approved the Omnibus I package, a deregulation initiative that amends key EU corporate sustainability instruments, including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). While Schönfelder and Streibelt argued that despite the amendments, “the CSDDD remains strong, especially its obligations on human rights and environmental due diligence”, I contend precisely the opposite. The... Mehr

On the Court of Justice’s Judgment in Commission v. Poland Poland’s “rule of law crisis” started in December 2015 with the irregular appointment of three individuals to already occupied seats on Poland’s Constitutional Court (CT). It will not end with the Court of Justice’s judgment of 18 December 2025, finding this body to no longer meet the requirements of an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. This judgment is itself the fifth infringement ruling... Mehr

Latvia’s Attempted Withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention In late October 2025, the majority of the Latvian Parliament voted to denounce the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. This move faced considerable civic protests and was ultimately suspended due to a presidential veto. Nevertheless, what happened in Latvia was not a mere national power play. The withdrawal attempt was a manifestation of... Mehr

The long-term impact of U.S. intervention in Venezuela will not be decided in Caracas or Washington, but elsewhere. With intervention now framed as a standard policy instrument of the USA, it is the response of other states — including in Europe — that will determine whether the erosion of international law becomes normalised across regions. To understand why the response now matters so much, it is worth recalling how earlier U.S. interventions were treated. For... Mehr

Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to quickly review a Colorado Supreme Court decision that sought to disqualify Donald Trump from the presidential ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. In Trump v. Anderson (2024), the Supreme Court ruled that states lack authority to enforce that provision against federal candidates without congressional authorization, allowing Trump to remain on the ballot. What would the world look like if militant democracy had prevailed in... Mehr

International lawyers are fond of the old La Rochefoucauld bromide that “Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.”  The point was made with greater particularity by Hedley Bull, in observing that when a state violates international law, “it usually goes out of its way to demonstrate that it considers itself (and other states) bound by the rule in question.”  In lying about the material facts or in asserting some facially plausible extension of accepted... Mehr

A Critique of the CJEU’s Judgment in Slagelse Almennyttige Boligselskab, Afdeling Schackenborgvænge On 18 December 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU, “the Court”) issued its judgment in Slagelse Almennyttige Boligselskab, Afdeling Schackenborgvænge (C-417/23). The case concerned whether article 2(2)(a) and (b) of Directive 2000/43 must be interpreted to mean that the criterion used for the design of a social mixing policy in Denmark’s Law on Public Housing (LPH, “the law”) constituted... Mehr

Why W.S. et al and Hamoudi vs Frontex Mark a Turning Point 18 December 2025 was an important day for the rule of law in Europe. In the cases of W.S. et al. and Hamoudi, both decided on appeal, the Court of Justice strengthened the right to an effective remedy as granted by Art. 47 of the Charter vis-à-vis Frontex. The court held that Frontex can, in principle, be held responsible for fundamental rights violations... Mehr

How to Simplify the Digital Acquis Without Undermining Rights The European Union’s digital rulebook is increasingly criticized for its complexity, prompting calls for simplification. However, recent proposals like the draft Digital Omnibus regulation are strong on limiting rights but weak on providing clarity. For instance, proposed changes to the GDPR’s definition of “personal data” introduce diverse subjective criteria and deepen the layering approach by conferring rule-making powers on the Commission to adopt further exceptions and... Mehr

Zum zehnten Geburtstag der Gesellschaft mit Freiheitsrechte wollten wir's von Ulf Buermeyer wissen: Was waren seine besten Erinnerungen an die Zeit bei der GFF und wie ist es, den Job als Vorstand nach so langer Zeit aufzugeben? Das Interview führte Janina Zillekens-McFadden bei unserer 10-Jahres-Feier "10YGFF" am 19. September 2025.... Mehr

Teil 5 unseres Schulungsvideos für Polizist*innen: Das wichtigste nochmal zusammengefasst Was ist Whistleblowing und was bedeutet es für die Polizei? Welche rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen gibt es? Und wie sind Hinweisgeber*innen rechtlich geschützt? In diesem fünfteiligen Schulungsvideo erklärt Laura Kuttler, Juristin und Projektkoordinatorin von "Mach Meldung! Starke Stimmen für die Polizei", alles, was Polizist*innen wissen müssen, wenn sie Missstände melden wollen. Teil 1: Whistleblowing in der Polizei, ein Überblick Teil 2: Das neue Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz Teil 3: Fallbeispiele... Mehr

Teil 4 unseres Schulungsvideos für Polizist*innen: Was passiert nach der Meldung? Was ist Whistleblowing und was bedeutet es für die Polizei? Welche rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen gibt es? Und wie sind Hinweisgeber*innen rechtlich geschützt? In diesem fünfteiligen Schulungsvideo erklärt Laura Kuttler, Juristin und Projektkoordinatorin von "Mach Meldung! Starke Stimmen für die Polizei", alles, was Polizist*innen wissen müssen, wenn sie Missstände melden wollen. Teil 1: Whistleblowing in der Polizei, ein Überblick Teil 2: Das neue Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz Teil 3:... Mehr