Latest blog articles

  • Ensuring compliance with sustainable development provisions in EU FTAs

    The trade and sustainable development chapters included in recent EU FTAs have been criticized for lacking an effective enforcement mechanism, and in particular for the absence of sanctions to ensure compliance. This has been blamed for the poor implementation of their commitments by partner...

    Entrepreneur blog IGIR trade and compliance
  • Thou shalt not cheat!

    Every once in a while, I have the good fortune of reading a court case which is both fun and educational. The UK Supreme Court case Ivey (Appellant) v Genting Casinos (UK) Ltd t/a Crockfords (Respondent) is one such case, which tells an interesting story, while also explaining to the public the...

    Playing cards
  • For the law, cognitive sciences should not change everything, but still a lot

    My message is, however, that next to the main lines of law’s contents, law students should learn about the ways in which law affects society and its participants. In this connection, they should study selected topics from sociology, but also – and that is the main message here – the cognitive...

    head and brain
  • Do we know what law is?

    A little bit of provocation sharpens the mind. Let me therefore start with a provocative thesis: Most lawyers have no idea what law is.

    What is law
  • Is there such a thing as ‘European Private Law’?

    Is there such a thing as ‘European private law’? In my opinion there is not, just as there is no Dutch, French, English, or Chinese private law. Let me explain. Legal rules, including rules of private law, have many characteristics. 

    Justice_MLR