Abstract: There is an ongoing academic discussion on the concept of smart and targeted sanctions, suggesting that these measures should be tailored, allow for humanitarian exemptions, and include an accessible de-listing procedure for designated subjects, among other criteria. However, a question arises as to whether the concept of smart sanctions...
Abstract: KS and KD is a judgment where the European Court of Justice finds it has jurisdiction to hear actions for damages caused by the European Union’s (EU) civilian missions or military operations. It is the first time that this has happened. Although not entirely surprising, the finding of jurisdiction contributes to a growing line of...
Abstract: In case T-65/18 RENV Venezuela v Council the General Court was confronted with the question of the legality under international law of the EU’s restrictive measures against Venezuela. The judgment is of particular importance as it feeds into the burgeoning discussion regarding the juridical nature, and lawfulness, of EU...
Abstract: In 2019 the EU Commission launched the ambitious so-called European Green Deal, a set of proposals aimed to revise and update EU legislation and to put in place new initiatives with the goal to ensure that EU policies are in line with climate and SDGs goals. To reach the targets set out by the EU institutions, a crucial role is attributed...
Abstract: The European Union has always concluded international agreements with third countries and international organisations as an integral component of its external action. In contrast to its predecessors, the Treaty of Lisbon introduced a uniform procedural framework for the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements in art. 218...
Abstract: The current Insight analyses the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-551/21, which upheld the Commission's claim regarding its right to exercise the external act of treaty signature. The decision sheds light on the signature procedure outlined in art. 218 TFEU and adds to previous cases, clarifying the proper...
Abstract: In the context of the litigation relating to the Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v Russian Federation) before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Member States of the European Union (EU) have in turn filed a declaration of intervention on the...
Abstract: This Insight offers an overview of the EU's evolving energy policy in the face of the energy crisis which followed the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the critical interplay between legal measures, market dynamics, and geopolitical strategy. In the first section, the Insight will examine the history of...
Abstract: This Insight examines the developments in the EU restrictive measures against Russia in the aftermath of the full-scale aggression in Ukraine, focusing on the novel "(g) criterion" designed to target Russian businesspersons (often referred to as Russian oligarchs). The analysis illustrates the recent litigation before the General...
Abstract: This Insight examines the stance the EU should adopt towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the basis of the political thought of Immanuel Kant, Thomas Hobbes, and Niccolò Machiavelli. Taking as its starting point Josep Borrell’s comment that “we are too much Kantians and not enough Hobbesians” at the 2022 EU Ambassadors’...