Latest blog articles

  • Three countries, three ways of counting?

    Comparing figures on corona infections and mortality can be misleading

    The number of people dying in Belgium from the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is higher than in neighbouring countries. This high mortality rate makes it seem as if Belgium is not doing as well as its neighbours. The...

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  • Working from home: not a self-evident matter for frontier workers

    With the prevailing Coronavirus (COVID-19) it is recommended to work from home as much as possible. For frontier workers, however, working from home can be disadvantageous. This is because they then work in another country from one day to the next. International and European rules on the...

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  • Towards the end of German housing (construction) subsidies?

    More than ten years after the European Court of Justice ruled that the German Eigenheimzulage was in breach of European law, the EC also started questioning its successor, the Baukindergeld. ITEM had previously concluded that the Baukindergeld was in breach of European law. We now await the...

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  • Excusing illegal use of force

    From illegal but legitimate to legal because it is legitimate? This post argues that, analogous to the concept of defences in municipal legal systems, international law on the use of force should adopt a systematic distinction between justifications and excuses.

    Excusing Illegal Use of Force: From Illegal but Legitimate to Legal Because it is Legitimate