Latest blog articles

  • Text- and data mining beyond borders

    AI needs to have access to huge amounts of data in order to be trained. In this article, I discuss the need for suitable text- and data mining exceptions in copyright law that stimulate AI development as well as enable human authors and creators to still earn a revenue. 

    ai
  • Emergency for a wall?

    Is it legally possible for Trump to invoke an emergency in order to avoid Congress and obtain the necessary funds to build his wall? Or put differently: is it possible under US law to undo the refusal of Congress to appropriate the necessary funds?

    Trump wall - blog Maastricht University
  • European budget and the national constitutional state

    In May 2018 the European Commission presented the plan of a new financial framework for 2021-2027. In which is stated that the European Commission, among other things, aims to make the subsidies which are given to the countries, conditional upon the level at which a member state complies with EU...

    EU budget_EU begroting _blog
  • Street harassment and freedom of speech

    Yelling, offensive language, indecent sounds, and to a certain extent even behaviors are being protected as ‘speech’ or as ‘symbolic speech’ by Article 7 of the constitution. If we believe criminal justice is an appropriate instrument, an intervention is only allowed on the part of the national...

    edvard_munch_de schreeuw 1895_MLR
  • The Dutch ‘Troonrede’ (King’s Speech) and the EU

    In today’s (15 september 2015) King’s speech the King said that the government will have as a point of departure for its presidency in 2016 of the Council of Ministers, a Europe which functions better and aims at essentials. Furthermore it will work towards an innovative Europe with a well...

    The Dutch ‘Troonrede’ (King’s Speech) and the EU
  • The first State of the Union of Juncker

    On September 9th 2015 the president of the Commission, Juncker, adressed for his first time the European Parliament in his State of the Union.  This year’s State of the Union was entitled: Time for Honesty, Unity and Solidarity. And the key concepts were: more Europe in the Union, and more Union in...

    The first State of the Union of Juncker