Latest blog articles

  • The duty to accommodate beyond employment in the EU

    Following the conclusion (ratification) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the EU is bound by the Convention to the extent of its competences, including in the field of non-discrimination.

    Disability
  • Going Dutch: integration the hard way

    Passing a Dutch integration exam is mandatory for most non-EU immigrants. This should be done within 3 years after their arrival, under the threat of a fine or non-extension of the residency permit. The exam fee is 350 EUR. The preparation course costs 4000-5000 EUR on average.

    integration
  • Court of Appeals trumps Trump

    When Trump tweeted "See you in Court, the security of our nation is at stake" he was absolutely right, but not as he intended it to mean. Because yes, courts are essential for the security of (the citizens of) the state.

    Trump-rejection_immigration
  • The Limburg Principles Turned 30

    The aim of this contribution is to assess what has been achieved since the adoption of the 1986 Limburg Principles on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the realisation of these human rights.

    Limburg vlag
  • Ecuador Earthquake: What lawyers can do

    On Saturday 16 of April an earthquake struck Ecuador. At 7.8 on the Richter scale, it levelled various towns of the province of Manabí, in particular Pedernales, Manta and Portoviejo. At current estimates, it has killed more than 500 persons. Many of them died a slow death, after days of being...

    Ecuador Earthquake: What lawyers can do
  • What does the UN think of EU disability policy?

    The European Union is a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is the first and, thus far, the only human rights treaty to which the EU is a party. In accordance with Article 35 of the Convention, the EU submitted its State report on the steps which has taken to...

    disabled-parking-sign
  • Extraterritorial human rights obligations to protect refugees

    It took quite a while before the European countries realized and recognized that the influx from asylum-seekers via the Mediterranean Sea and Turkey into the European Union is not just a matter of controlling the outside borders of the Union, but also a humanitarian and human rights issue. Some...

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