Tag: Law & Justice

The Burquini Was Designed to Liberate Women, Not Enslave Them

August 31, 2016

Commentary by Gabriella Atkins The recent decision by 26 mayors in the south of France to ban the ‘burquini’, and subsequent photographs appearing to show armed police forcing a woman to remove her clothing, has precipitated controversy and outrage.  In London, in a protest outside the French embassy women united to demonstrate for their freedom to … More The Burquini Was Designed to Liberate Women, Not Enslave Them

The Continuing Saga of the Austrian Presidential Elections

July 27, 2016

Commentary by Danaë LAZARI If a week is a long time in politics, the last five have given onlookers enough change and uncertainty to last several months. In the month after it was announced that the UK had voted to leave the EU, Brexit dominated the political sphere – certainly in Europe, but with a … More The Continuing Saga of the Austrian Presidential Elections

The Birth and Growth of the EU-US Shield

June 1, 2016

Analysis by Danaë LAZARI On 30 May 2016, the European Data Protection Supervisor warned that the EU-US Privacy Shield, an agreement proposed by the Commission to replace the recently-overturned Safe Harbour agreement, was not “robust enough […] to withstand future legal scrutiny”. Although the deal has not been thrown out, these concerns act as a … More The Birth and Growth of the EU-US Shield

Should the UK Adopt a Codified Constitution?

May 4, 2016

Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS The fundamentally distinguishing feature of the UK constitution is its unwritten nature.  In comparison to countries such as France, the United States and Germany, there is no single document to which the populace can turn to discover the rules by which they are governed.  But that is not to say that … More Should the UK Adopt a Codified Constitution?

The Panama Papers

April 13, 2016

Commentary by Gabriella ATKINS Last week witnessed a leak unprecedented in size and scale. 11.5m files were obtained from one of the most secretive offshore law firms, Mossack Fonesca, by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. Seuddeutsche Zeitung shared the information with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which then worked with journalists and media … More The Panama Papers

Innocent Until Proven Guilty? The African Union and the International Criminal Court

February 10, 2016

Commentary by Kirsten WILLIAMS The African Union (AU) met for its 26th summit last week, with the official purpose of discussing the human rights, reform and trade issues facing the continent. However, much of the media coverage surrounding the summit concerned the AU’s relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). At the convention, the AU voted … More Innocent Until Proven Guilty? The African Union and the International Criminal Court

A Sky Full of Drones: Drone Usage and the Law

January 27, 2016

Analysis by Gabriella ATKINS The ownership of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, is burgeoning at an unprecedented rate. Traditionally limited to military usage, dropping costs and increased production means drones are becoming within the reach of a significant proportion of the population. In the run-up to Christmas 2015 it was estimated 400,000 drones were going … More A Sky Full of Drones: Drone Usage and the Law

Can the Court of Justice of the European Union Impose Unwanted National Policy Change? A Very Brief Introduction.

October 14, 2015

Commentary by Danaë LAZARI The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU, formerly the European Court of Justice, see below note) made the headlines twice this week: firstly, for scrapping a translatlantic deal that allowed US technological companies to import wholesale personal information of EU citizens and, secondly, for delivering a ruling that contradicts … More Can the Court of Justice of the European Union Impose Unwanted National Policy Change? A Very Brief Introduction.

Britain, Europe and Human Rights

August 26, 2015

Analysis by Gabriella ATKINS The 2015 Conservative Party manifesto outline promised a withdrawal of the Human Rights Act and its replacement with a ‘British Bill of Rights and Responsibilities’.  However these plans have hit a stumbling-block in the form of inter-party splits over whether Britain should withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR … More Britain, Europe and Human Rights