Abstract: In Bank Refah Kargaran (case C-134/19 P Bank Refah Kargaran v Council ECLI:EU:C:2020:793), the Court of Justice decided that it has jurisdiction to award damages for non-contractual liability incurred by the EU for harm caused by certain restrictive measures in Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) decisions. In so...
Abstract: In Bank Refah (judgment of 6 October 2020, case C-134/19 P) the Court of Justice provides important clarifications on the type of judicial remedies available in relation to CFSP decisions establishing restrictive measures. As in Rosneft, the Court seems to extend its jurisdiction beyond the so-called “claw-back” provision...
Abstract: In the Bank Refah Kargaran judgment (case C-134/19 P, judgment of 6 October 2020) the Court of Justice adds the action for damages against CFSP decisions to the list of legal remedies available to individuals targeted by EU restrictive measures. After a brief overview of the case, this Insight examines the reasoning of...
Keywords: Restrictive measures – Common Foreign and Security Policy – EU smart sanctions – human rights violations – EU external action.
On October 19, the European Commission and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, put forward a Joint Proposal for a...
Abstract: This Insight examines the EU’s reaction to the breaches of the territorial sovereignty of Cyprus and Greece by Turkey in the context of the crisis of the Eastern Mediterranean sea which developed between 2019 and 2020. The EU has reacted by adopting restrictive measures against two Turkish nationals responsible for drilling...
Abstract: The Slovenia v. Croatia case (Court of Justice, judgment of 31 January 2020, case C-457/18) is a complex and politically charged one. Here, the Court of Justice was indirectly called upon to pronounce on the legal effects of an international arbitral award delimiting the territorial and maritime boundary between two Member States...
Abstract: This Insight assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the external borders of the EU. It first presents measures enacting the EU travel ban and also their implications on the European asylum system, as implemented by Member States’ administrations. In this context, it discusses some of the challenges which emerge: these...
Abstract: One of the priorities of the EU’s external action during the COVID-19 outbreak was to ensure protection of its citizens stranded outside the European territory, especially those whose Member State of nationality had no embassy or consulate in a position to effectively provide consular assistance. Repatriation of these citizens was made...
Abstract: Restrictions on movement imposed in all Member States have necessarily resulted in a restriction of free movement rights of Union citizens, albeit in an incidental manner. These restrictions are nonetheless facilitated by the relevant provisions of primary and secondary law. This is appropriate in light of the multi-level system of...
Abstract: The present Insight looks at the EU and the international law framework concerning trade measures in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on export restrictions. As is shown, the legal framework is fairly permissive with regard to EU Member States, but also the EU as an international actor. Taking into account economics–...