In its judgment of 19 September 2019, the ECJ ruled that Dutch legislation excluding frontier workers residing in the Netherlands but working as a mini-jobber in Germany from the Dutch social security system is compatible with EU law. If the Hoge Raad follows the approach taken by the ECJ, the status-quo will be maintained. This would mean that these frontier workers remain uninsured in both Germany and the Netherlands, which is why such a situation must be dissuaded. For a more in-depth analysis of the judgment of the ECJ and its background, we kindly refer you to the ITEM Cross-border Portal.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing stiff opposition to his signature Brexit policy, he suffers a momentous defeat in the United Kingdom Supreme Court. How did it happen? What was the reasoning of the judges, and what are the implications of the verdict?

Een levende cursus constitutioneel recht en tevens een Shakespeareaans drama of Griekse tragedie. Dat is het schouwspel in het Verenigd (of: Verdeeld) Koninkrijk. 

Last week, a court in The Hague acquitted a doctor accused of administering “unlawful euthanasia” to a severely demented patient back in 2016.

In European societies, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting FGM/C is regarded as an alien cultural practice that should not be part of society. It is seen as a barbaric tradition that is associated with refugees and immigrants from African and Muslim States who have brought this custom to Europe.

The Swedish Data Protection Authority recently launched an investigation into Umeå University’s handling of sensitive personal data, specifically data obtained from the Danish Police Authority for research purposes.

This blog is currently only available in Dutch.

Op 22 mei 2019 verscheen de ‘Atlas voor gemeenten 2019’. De 50 grootste gemeenten van Nederland worden jaarlijks met elkaar vergeleken. Dat kunnen verschillende beleidsterreinen zijn waar lokale, regionale en centrale overheden zich mee bezighouden. Focus van dit jaar is ‘Groei & Krimp’. Conclusie van het rapport: Grensregio’s profiteren sterk van een grenzeloos Europa.

Dit wordt meteen zichtbaar in de woonaantrekkelijkheidsindex die twee ranglijsten laat zien; een ranglijst wanneer wel met grensbarrières rekening wordt gehouden en een ranglijst zonder rekening te houden met die grensbarrières. Maastricht stond op plaats 37 en schiet omhoog naar plaats 7 wanneer die grensbarrières weggedacht worden, Heerlen stond op plaats 43 en schiet eveneens omhoog naar plaats 10. Ook Venlo, van 47 naar 11, en Sittard-Geleen, van 49 naar 23, laten enorme opwaartse sprongen zien.

The development of human rights law is part of a fundamental shift in the nature and purpose of the international legal order. Where once international law was considered to regulate purely inter-state concerns, we now talk of the existence of international community interests and a shared international system of values. On which is the legal protection of human rights and human dignity based? Is it an interest or a value? Does it matter? This blog post offers a brief terminological clarification on the definition and distinction between the two and attempts to answer these questions.

Opening speech Opening Academic Year 2019-2020

The purpose of the opening of the academic year is to project optimism and discussing the way ahead. This is more  difficult this year as we have experienced or expecting some dramatic changes to the higher education landscape in the Netherlands. First of all, the recent decision to shift existing budgets towards technical universities at the expense of others  is a threat to the balance of subjects that form the core if the university - universitas - comprehensiveness. It is understandable that students and staff alike, the core members of the academic community, are worried about this and today, at this hour, more than 1000 of them are attending an alternative opening of the academic year in Leiden to express their concern. Let it be clear, they have our full support - we share their worries and must work together to find a solution against one-sided budged shifts that damage universities and their basic philosophy. And let us also be clear, that we will do everything in our power to maintain a healthy and fair balance between all disciplines at our university.

This summer we have witnessed the birth of the “European university”. In June, the European Commission announced the 17 successful bids for this status from consortia of institutions across the continent. Given that UK universities are among the best in the world, you would have expected them to be heavily involved. In fact, only three of the 114 participants are British: the universities of Essex, Edinburgh and Warwick. By comparison, the networks include 16 French universities, 14 from Germany and 10 from Spain.