Category: Law and Justice

European Arrest Warrant and Catalan Politicians: Legal Dilemmas for the Judges

Leandro Mancano The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued last autumn for Carles Puigdemont, president in exile of the Catalan Government, attracted exceptional media attention. The noise seemed bound to fade after the Spanish authorities later withdrew the EAW. However, the debate was recently reignited as Puigdemont and other former Catalan ministers were delivered new EAWs. …

The ECtHR Decision in ND and NT: New Human Rights Limits for Frontex?

Valentina Rioseco Vallejos On 3 October 2017, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down its judgement in ND and NT v Spain. It held that the immediate refoulement of two persons from sub-Saharan Africa, carried out by the Spanish Guardia Civil at the Melilla border in August 2014, had violated Article 4 of …

Brexit and Environmental Protection in Scotland: The Road Ahead

Annalisa Savaresi Brexit’s implications for environmental law and enforcement in the UK are symptomatic of the challenges associated with breaking away from the EU’s regulatory and governance arrangements. While nobody is seriously suggesting that after Brexit the UK will become a lawless land, incapable of upholding the rule of law on environmental matters, the loss …

Lost in Brexit Transition?

Tobias Lock It is widely accepted that a transition period (or in the UK Government’s parlance: implementation period) will be necessary to ensure an orderly Brexit. The rationale behind transition is twofold: nobody expects an agreement on the future relationship between the UK and the EU to be negotiated and ratified by 29 March 2019; …

Does UK Law Require a Referendum on the EU Withdrawal Agreement?

Donal Coffey Most people will throw their hands in the air when confronted with the possibility of another EU referendum in the United Kingdom. This article does not argue in favour or against such a referendum, but asks the following question: From a legal point of view, does a withdrawal agreement concluded between the United …

The UK’s Approach to EU Citizenship, Criminality and Expulsion

Leandro Mancano LERU Brexit Seminar Over recent years, foreign nationals in the United Kingdom subject to criminal investigations – let alone convictions – have increasingly experienced an (un)happy ending to their residence in Britain. The aftermath of the 2005 London terrorist attacks resulted in a toughening up of relevant rules concerning the protection of foreigners …

European Private International Law after Brexit

Michiel Poesen LERU Brexit Seminar European harmonisation has been successful in fewer areas than private international law (PIL). Since the 1968 Brussels Convention, an impressive number of European PIL instruments have been adopted. The UK government’s recent position paper gives an overview of the current EU PIL instruments in which the UK participates. This article …

Brexit and Direct Taxation: A Turning Point for EU Tax Law?

Luca Cerioni LERU Brexit Seminar Brexit has already prompted a number of academic contributions examining the tax implications for the UK, in the areas of both direct taxation (income, profits and capital) and indirect taxation (VAT). At the same time, the European Council’s April 2017 Brexit negotiating guidelines state that any future agreement ‘must ensure …