Latest blog articles

  • Concise, accessible and corporate: a new compendium of constitutional law

    Constitutional Law seems to be relatively stable. However, in practice changes are taking place suddenly as well as gradually. As an example Heringa mentions the law consultative referendum, which entered into force last year. This part has been added to the chapter about legislation. The book is...

    staatsrecht boek
  • Brexit and the decision/decisions of 19 February 2016

    On 19 February 2016, the European Council reached agreement on the Brexit dossier (EUCO 1/16); if the British decide to remain in the union on 23 June 2016, certain thing will change, or at least, will have to change... This blog is only available in Dutch. 

    vierkant euro symbool
  • Politicians are quick to take offence

    There was great anger and protest among Dutch politicians after a nuanced interview with Juncker in NRC Handelsblad van January 9th, 2016, about the referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement. The general opinion was: how does Juncker have the courage to participate in the Dutch discussion...

    Juncker
  • The pleasures of a failing city

    Berlin is a fun place. Several of my friends and colleagues have visited it during the last weeks and months. And they were not alone. In 2015, a record number of more than 12 million tourists visited Berlin, most of them staying for a few days. Why has the city become so attractive? First of all...

    The pleasures of a failing city
  • Finding Refugee: Stories from the Netherlands

    Maastricht, Netherlands is hosting 600 refugees, in a camp that used to be Netherlands first prison built on the basis of the Prisoners Act, focusing on rehabilitation. A grey building, located behind a tall brick wall with steel window frames. Inside the building the atmosphere is tense, the air...

    Placeholder DRUPAL_do NOT touch
  • Letters to the dark side

    In a time where religious motives seem to form a base for terror, I was deeply touched by the virgil of peace organised by Maastricht University’s student chaplaincy. Several days after the attacks in Paris, Christians, Jews and Muslims gathered here to pray for peace. It formed a stark contrast...

    Placeholder DRUPAL_do NOT touch
  • The tax plan

    It has just been accepted by the Dutch Second Chamber, but that does not mean it will make it past the First. That's the status of the tax plan right now. And indeed... This blog is only available in Dutch.

    Het belastingplan
  • Limburg Esperanto

    We occasionally receive letters here at Maastricht University telling us we are ruining the Dutch language by only offering education in English. They do not actually have the facts straight: we are a bilingual university with an ‘English unless policy’, which means the language of instruction is...

    Prof. dr. Martin Paul