scholarly journals Selecting Judges in Poland and Germany: Challenges to the Rule of law in Europe and Propositions for a new Approach to Judicial Legitimacy

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 769-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Sanders ◽  
Luc von Danwitz
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Judicial Appointments ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
German System ◽  
European Standards ◽  
Polish Government ◽  
German Constitutional Law ◽  
Selection Of

The recent reforms of the Polish Judiciary have sparked a lively debate in Europe on the importance of judicial independence. This Article deals with the new Polish system of selecting and appointing judges and critically assesses it in the light of European standards for judicial appointments. It then compares the new Polish system to the German system of selecting judges, which has been advanced as a point of reference for the reform by the Polish government. Finally, the Article reconsiders and challenges some of the established concepts of German constitutional law as to the selection of judges and judicial legitimacy.The Article was closed on September 2, 2017 and accepted for publication. Subsequent developments could be included until March 15, 2018. The authors would like to thank Judge Thomas Guddat and theDeutsch-Polnische Richtervereinigung(Association of German and Polish Judges) for providing valuable details on the reforms in Poland.

An International Rule of Law

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Globalizing World ◽  
International Legal System ◽  
Elusive Concept ◽  
International Rule ◽  
Selection Of

The “international rule of law” is an elusive concept. Under this heading, mainly two variations are being discussed: The international rule of law “proper” and an “internationalized” or even “globalized” rule of law. The first usage relates to the rule of law as applied to the international legal system, that is the application of the rule of law to those legal relations and contexts that are governed by international law. In this context, the term international rule of law is often mentioned as a catchphrase which merely embellishes a discussion of international law tout court. The international rule of law is here mainly or exclusively used as shorthand for compliance with international law, a synonym for a “rule based international order,” or a signifier for the question whether international law is “real” law. This extremely loose usage of the term testifies its normative and symbolic appeal although it does not convey any additional analytic value. The second usage of the rule of law in international contexts covers all other aspects of the rule of law in a globalizing world, notably rule of law promotion in its widest sense. The increasing interaction between national and international law and between the diverse domestic legal orders (through law diffusion and reception, often again mediated by international law) is a manifestation of the second form of the rule of law. The structure of this bibliography roughly follows this bifurcation of the Rule of Law Applied to the International Legal System and the Rule of Law in a Globalizing World. Next to these two main parts, three further, separate sections discuss questions that arise at the intersection of the two variants or are of crosscutting importance to the rule of law as a whole. This includes sections on the Rule of Law as a UN Project: A Selection of UN Documents on the Rule of Law, the Interaction between the International and Domestic Rule(s) of Law, and the (International) Rule of Law: A Tool of Hegemony?.

Doing Justice Better

2020 ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
Michael Tonry
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Life Without Parole ◽  
Three Strikes ◽  
Main Ideas ◽  
Selection Of

The main ideas in this book are simple. Treat people charged with and convicted of crimes justly, fairly, and even-handedly, as anyone would want done for themselves or their children. Take sympathetic account of the circumstances of peoples’ lives. Punish no one more severely than he or she deserves. Those propositions are implicit in the rule of law and its requirement that the human dignity of every person be respected. Three major structural changes are needed. First, selection of judges and prosecutors, and their day-to-day work, must be insulated from political influence. Second, mandatory minimum sentence, three-strikes, life without parole, truth in sentencing, and similar laws must be repealed. Third, correctional and prosecution systems must be centralized in unified state agencies.

Strategies of the Polish government in the rule of law dispute with the European Commission

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka K. Cianciara
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Polish Government

Celem niniejszego artykułu jest identyfikacja, analiza i ocena skuteczności strategii rządu RP w sporze o praworządność z Komisją Europejską (2016–2018), z uwzględnieniem szerszego kontekstu politycznego w Unii Europejskiej. Hipoteza główna stanowi, że do momentu uruchomienia przez Komisję procedury z art. 7.1 TUE w grudniu 2017 roku, strategiczne cele rządu koncentrowały się na poziomie krajowym (mobilizacja krajowego poparcia), a nie na poziomie europejskim (minimalizacja strat i rozwiązanie sporu). Słabości strategii na poziomie europejskim należy upatrywać w błędnych założeniach i błędnej diagnozie ośrodka decyzyjnego w Polsce co do sytuacji politycznej w Europie oraz co do logiki gry politycznej w UE.

scholarly journals Safeguarding the Rule of Law within the EU: Lessons from the Polish Experience

European View ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Niklewicz
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Protective Mechanisms ◽  
Current Form ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Polish Experience ◽  
Law And Justice ◽  
Polish Government ◽  
First Time ◽  
Fundamental Values

The rule-of-law procedure against Poland, opened in January 2016, has painfully tested the safeguards supposed to protect the EU's fundamental values. It is now obvious that the protective mechanisms need to be strengthened. For in their current form, tested in real life for the first time, they have not dissuaded the present Polish government, led by the nationalist Law and Justice party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS), from seriously and continuously breaching the rules. All interested EU parties—that is, willing member states and institutions—should acknowledge this and start preparing modifications both to Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which includes a sanction mechanism, and to the European Commission's Rule of Law Framework, so that the EU's internal defences are strengthened for future needs.

Poland-EU constitutional crisis will not end soon

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Constitutional Tribunal ◽  
The Government ◽  
Polish Government ◽  
The Eu

Subject European Commission concerns about the rule of law in Poland. Significance The Commission has sent a formal Opinion to the Polish government, activating the first stage in the EU's 'Rule of Law Framework'. It expresses concerns about respect for the rule of law in Poland (a fundamental founding value of the EU), and in particular about the Polish government's handling of the crisis over the Constitutional Tribunal (TK, for Trybunał Konstytucyjny) Impacts Poland's EU position is likely to suffer as a result of the dispute, making it more difficult for it to achieve other political goals. Polish politics will remain unsettled and polarised, with the opposition using the Commission's Opinion to challenge the government. Legal uncertainty may translate into lower investment by individuals and enterprises dampening economic growth in the medium-to-long term.

scholarly journals The ‘Insecurity Toolbox’ of the Illiberal Regime: Rule by Law and Rule by Exclusion

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-242
Author(s):  
Ákos Kopper ◽  
Zsolt Körtvélyesi ◽  
Balázs Majtényi ◽  
András Szalai
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Member State ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Rule By Law ◽  
European Standards ◽  
Democratic Norms ◽  
The Eu

Abstract This article scrutinizes the ‘insecurity toolbox’ that Hungary’s illiberal regime relies on in order to create an increasingly authoritarian system that sidelines the opposition and silences discontent. While authoritarian shifts are widespread, what makes the case of Hungary unique is that it involves a member state of the European Union. We identify three important features of the regime: (1) it relies on securitization by using an anti-immigrant meta-frame to justify virtually all policies and identify enemies whose presence justifies exceptional measures; (2)it applies law instrumentally and rules by law, which effectively undermines the rule of law and its guarantees against arbitrariness; (3)it maintains a screen of compliance with democratic and constitutional norms. While the EU seems impotent, or unwilling to halt this authoritarian backsliding, the Hungarian government feels it necessary to fake compliance with democratic norms by adopting policies that formally acquiesce to European standards but contradict them in essence.

scholarly journals Police Powers and Article 5 ECHR: Time for a New Approach to the Interpretation of the Right to Liberty

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-356
Author(s):  
Richard A. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Police Powers ◽  
European Court ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
The Right ◽  
Article 5

Abstract This paper discusses the approach of British and European Courts to the interpretation and application of the Article 5 ECHR right to liberty when faced with police powers. The paper argues that the long-standing approach of the European Court of Human Rights in Guzzardi v Italy [1980] ECHR 7367/76 is wrong and should be replaced with a new interpretation based on coercion. The paper goes on to argue that a new approach would allow the courts to effectively protect both Convention rights and the rule of law.

scholarly journals Constitutional principles and their impact on the establishing of constitutional order and rule of law in Kosovo

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1079-1096
Author(s):  
Nur Çeku ◽  
Haxhi Xhemajli
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Constitutional Order ◽  
The Republic ◽  
European Standards ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Considered as a progressive document based on the models of the Western constitutions, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo has established the legal basis for a functional statethat respects rights and fundamental freedoms while guaranteeing the rule of law. In its provisions, the Constitution has laid down basic principles which serve as the foundation for Kosovo’s constitutional order. In this regard, these constitutional principles have been further enshrined in the provisions of laws that emanate from the Constitution, and also have been established in the institutional mechanisms for its appropriate application. In addition, what played a prominent role in defining these principles was the impact of the Constitutional Court’s case-law. Case-law has reaffirmed in many instances the tremendous importance of constitutional principles in enhancing the rule of law, protecting the rights of minority groups and other members of Kosovo’s society, and the right to freedom of belief and secularism by implementing the most modern European standards in human protection. Hence, this paper analyzess the impact that constitutional principles have had on defining the structure of the state, guaranteeing the rule of law, protection of human rights and establishing Kosovo as a multi-ethnic society. Likewise, it examines the case-law of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court by providing some of the most prominent cases.

scholarly journals Establishing Institutions under International Administration

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-28
Author(s):  
Robert Muharremi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Poor Country ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
International Assistance ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
European Standards

The international community, led by the United Nations, created Kosovo’s new post-war institutions and continues to influence them, even after Kosovo declared independence in 2008. One of the very first priorities of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was to establish the rule of law and to develop institutions and legal frameworks for a normally functioning economy. However, after almost two decades of internationally led institution-building, Kosovo is still, measured by European standards, a poor country with weak institutions. This paper shows that the creation of institutions does not follow a rational decision-making model, even when, like in Kosovo, institutions are created under direct international involvement and with the intention to develop the rule of law and facilitate economic development. The garbage can model approach to governance and decision-making provides a better explanation of the formation of governance institutions and why institutions, despite perhaps the best intentions, do not produce the desired results; failing to solve the underlying policy problems. The case studies on the privatisation of socially owned property and the development of contract law show that, in the case of Kosovo, adopting the best international and European standards almost always meant adopting a decontextualised solution promoted by an international actor. It did not really matter if that solution indeed solved the problem. In fact, in most cases the problem remained, with new problems being created because of the inadequacy of the imported ready-made solution. The conclusion is that sometimes less international assistance is more. In the absence of so much international financial and technical assistance, Kosovar leadership would have been required to assume more ownership of the policy-making for solving their problems. Less international assistance would also have meant less competition between international actors and less pressure to adopt ready-made decontextualised solutions.

scholarly journals New EU Enlargement Strategy Towards the Western Balkans and Its Impact on Rule of Law

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 37-58
Author(s):  
Marina Matić Bošković ◽  
Jelena Kostić
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
Accession Countries ◽  
Enlargement Strategy ◽  
The Eu

The rule of law is incorporated in the EU Founding Treaties and case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU and was included as a key requirement already in 1993 Copenhagen accession criteria. The EU enlargement is not only territorial increase, but also transposition of EU acquis to third countries. Since 1993, the monitoring mechanism of the rule of law reform in the EU accession countries was enhanced, including two specific negotiation chapters, Chapter 23 – judiciary and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 – justice, freedom and security. Over the last two decades, the EU was struggling to develop an adequate mechanism in this area, from mechanism for coordination and verification, to action plans for Chapter 23, to more specific tools like perception and experience surveys of the judiciary and functional reviews. Due to the challenges to measure progress and track record in the rule of law, in February 2020 the European Commission presented the new approach to EU Enlargement that aims to push reforms forward. The intention is to make the accession negotiations more credible, predictable and dynamic and criteria for assessing reforms in the accession countries will be based on the clearer criteria and more concise EU requirements. The article examines how EU enlargement policies influenced the rule of law reforms in Western Balkan countries over the years and what could be expected from the new approach. The research hypothesis is based on the correlation between Enlargement strategy towards the Western Balkans and its impact on rule of law in countries of the mentioned region. The methodological approach applied in the assessment is based on analysis of Enlargement strategy and other EU and national documents, as well as results of the work of judicial institutions in order to provide insight into the bottlenecks of the state rule of law in Western Balkan countries and enable identification of recommendations for improvement. The authors concluded that the new methodology would improve the measurability of the achieved results in the rule of law area, however, the approach might slow down the accession process of Serbia and Montenegro as a frontrunners in the process.

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