Artikel 1 Grondwet wordt regelmatig als een soort preambule voor onze Grondwet aangemerkt. Het te... more Artikel 1 Grondwet wordt regelmatig als een soort preambule voor onze Grondwet aangemerkt. Het tegengaan van discriminatie en het bewerkstelligen van gelijke behandeling: dat is waar wij in onze tolerante rechtsstaat voor willen staan. Toch leidt artikel 1 Grondwet al jaren tot discussie. Een van de daarbij regelmatig gestelde vragen is of het wenselijk is om verandering te brengen in de lijst met discriminatiegronden. In deze bijdrage wordt op conceptuele gronden betoogd dat – als voor zo’n aanpassing wordt gekozen – de beste optie is om de discriminatiegronden in hun geheel uit de bepaling te schrappen. Daarnaast wordt uiteengezet wat de voorwaarde is voor die aanpassing, namelijk dat de Grondwet ook overigens grondig wordt vernieuwd.
The Law & Practice of International Courts and Tribunals
The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, ma... more The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, many States have introduced measures that seriously restrict or affect fundamental rights, ranging from procedural rights to the freedom of movement and the right to personal autonomy. In Europe, it is to be expected that many cases concerning such rights infringements eventually will come before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This contribution aims to give an insight into how the Court will likely give shape to its proportionality test in such cases. It thereby predicts that open balancing review – for which the ECtHR is famous – will play a much less important role than methods of reasoning by analogy and procedural review.
The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, ma... more The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, many States have introduced measures that seriously restrict or affect fundamental rights, ranging from procedural rights to the freedom of movement and the right to personal autonomy. In Europe, it is to be expected that many cases concerning such rights infringements eventually will come before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This contribution aims to give an insight into how the Court will likely give shape to its proportionality test in such cases. It thereby predicts that open balancing review – for which the ECtHR is famous – will play a much less important role than methods of reasoning by analogy and procedural review.
In Europe, fundamental rights have come to be regulated by an increasing number of legal instrume... more In Europe, fundamental rights have come to be regulated by an increasing number of legal instruments, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and international treaties. It is not always easy to understand what requirements are set in these different instruments and how they interrelate. This textbook therefore provides an integrated and systematic overview of the requirements imposed by international and European fundamental rights law. It discusses a range of both civil/political fundamental rights (eg freedom of expression) and social/economic rights (eg right to health), for each of which it is discussed how it is protected by the ECHR, by other Council of Europe instruments, by EU law, and by international treaty instruments. Each chapter is concluded with an integration section, which explains the relations between the different systems of fundamental rights protection and discuss differences, overlap and bottlenecks.
It is often emphasised that the European Convention on Human Rights (echr or Convention) offers o... more It is often emphasised that the European Convention on Human Rights (echr or Convention) offers only minimum protection and states are allowed to offer additional guarantees. Indeed, Article 53 echr obliges the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to respect such national guarantees if they go beyond the Convention. Similar provisions are usually included in human rights treaties as ‘priority clauses’, which mean that human rights bodies should respect more protective national laws. In such a reading, Article 53 could both add to and detract from the protection offered by the Convention, especially in cases where national and Convention rights clash. Based on an analysis of the Court’s case law, this paper shows that the Court does not rely on Article 53 in such conflicting rights cases, but rather prefers to use avoidance and balancing strategies. Instead, the Court uses Article 53 to reinforce national fundamental rights protection, thereby reducing the risk of harming the minim...
Artikel 1 Grondwet wordt regelmatig als een soort preambule voor onze Grondwet aangemerkt. Het te... more Artikel 1 Grondwet wordt regelmatig als een soort preambule voor onze Grondwet aangemerkt. Het tegengaan van discriminatie en het bewerkstelligen van gelijke behandeling: dat is waar wij in onze tolerante rechtsstaat voor willen staan. Toch leidt artikel 1 Grondwet al jaren tot discussie. Een van de daarbij regelmatig gestelde vragen is of het wenselijk is om verandering te brengen in de lijst met discriminatiegronden. In deze bijdrage wordt op conceptuele gronden betoogd dat – als voor zo’n aanpassing wordt gekozen – de beste optie is om de discriminatiegronden in hun geheel uit de bepaling te schrappen. Daarnaast wordt uiteengezet wat de voorwaarde is voor die aanpassing, namelijk dat de Grondwet ook overigens grondig wordt vernieuwd.
The Law & Practice of International Courts and Tribunals
The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, ma... more The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, many States have introduced measures that seriously restrict or affect fundamental rights, ranging from procedural rights to the freedom of movement and the right to personal autonomy. In Europe, it is to be expected that many cases concerning such rights infringements eventually will come before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This contribution aims to give an insight into how the Court will likely give shape to its proportionality test in such cases. It thereby predicts that open balancing review – for which the ECtHR is famous – will play a much less important role than methods of reasoning by analogy and procedural review.
The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, ma... more The Covid-19 pandemic truly has been called a global crisis. To fight the spread of the virus, many States have introduced measures that seriously restrict or affect fundamental rights, ranging from procedural rights to the freedom of movement and the right to personal autonomy. In Europe, it is to be expected that many cases concerning such rights infringements eventually will come before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This contribution aims to give an insight into how the Court will likely give shape to its proportionality test in such cases. It thereby predicts that open balancing review – for which the ECtHR is famous – will play a much less important role than methods of reasoning by analogy and procedural review.
In Europe, fundamental rights have come to be regulated by an increasing number of legal instrume... more In Europe, fundamental rights have come to be regulated by an increasing number of legal instruments, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and international treaties. It is not always easy to understand what requirements are set in these different instruments and how they interrelate. This textbook therefore provides an integrated and systematic overview of the requirements imposed by international and European fundamental rights law. It discusses a range of both civil/political fundamental rights (eg freedom of expression) and social/economic rights (eg right to health), for each of which it is discussed how it is protected by the ECHR, by other Council of Europe instruments, by EU law, and by international treaty instruments. Each chapter is concluded with an integration section, which explains the relations between the different systems of fundamental rights protection and discuss differences, overlap and bottlenecks.
It is often emphasised that the European Convention on Human Rights (echr or Convention) offers o... more It is often emphasised that the European Convention on Human Rights (echr or Convention) offers only minimum protection and states are allowed to offer additional guarantees. Indeed, Article 53 echr obliges the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to respect such national guarantees if they go beyond the Convention. Similar provisions are usually included in human rights treaties as ‘priority clauses’, which mean that human rights bodies should respect more protective national laws. In such a reading, Article 53 could both add to and detract from the protection offered by the Convention, especially in cases where national and Convention rights clash. Based on an analysis of the Court’s case law, this paper shows that the Court does not rely on Article 53 in such conflicting rights cases, but rather prefers to use avoidance and balancing strategies. Instead, the Court uses Article 53 to reinforce national fundamental rights protection, thereby reducing the risk of harming the minim...
Digitalisering, vermogensrecht, de platformeconomie en grondrechten (Preadviezen Vereniging voor Burgerlijk Recht), 2019
In dit preadvies wordt uitgelegd wat de platformeconomie is en hoe het begrip 'platformeconomie' ... more In dit preadvies wordt uitgelegd wat de platformeconomie is en hoe het begrip 'platformeconomie' zich onderscheidt van vergelijkbare begrippen, zoals de deeleconomie. Vervolgens wordt een uitgebreide analyse gemaakt van de impact van digitale platformen op grondrechten zoals privacyrechten, vrijheidsrechten, gelijkheidsrechten en procedurele rechten. Daarbij komen zowel positieve consequenties als risico's aan bod.
The European Convention of Human Rights is one of the world's most important and influential huma... more The European Convention of Human Rights is one of the world's most important and influential human rights documents. It owes its value mainly to the European Court of Human Rights, which applies the Convention rights in individual cases. This book offers a clear insight into the concepts and principles that are key to understanding the European Convention and the Court's case-law. It explains how the Court generally approaches the many cases brought before it and which tools help it to decide on these cases, illustrated by numerous examples taken from the Court's judgements. Core issues discussed are the types of Convention rights (such as absolute rights); the structure of the Court's Convention rights review; principles and methods of interpretation (such as common ground interpretation and the use of precedent); positive and negative obligations; vertical and horizontal effect; the margin of appreciation doctrine; and requirements for the restriction of Convention rights.
For some time now, the European Court of Human Rights is under substantial pressure. From a case ... more For some time now, the European Court of Human Rights is under substantial pressure. From a case overload crisis it stumbled into a legitimacy crisis with regard to certain countries. This should be taken seriously, since scholars warn that institutions with eroding legitimacy risk demise or reform. The goal of this volume is to explore how widespread this critical attitude of the European Court of Human Rights really is. It also assesses to what extent such criticism is being translated in strategies at the political level or at the judicial level and brings about concrete changes in the dynamics between national and European fundamental rights protection. The book is topical and innovative, as these questions have so far remained largely unexplored, especially cross-nationally. Far from focusing exclusively on those voices that are currently raised so loud, conclusions are based on comparative in-depth reports, covering fifteen Contracting Parties and the EU.
With contributions of Olgun Akbulut, Tilmann Altwicker, Katarzyna Blay-Grabarczyk, Anna Gamper, Janneke Gerards, Krystyna Kowalik-Bańczyk, Sarah Lambrecht, Koen Lemmens, Lubomir Majerčík, Giuseppe Martinico, Roger Masterman, Aaron Matta, Christophe Maubernard, Armen Mazmanyan, Katharina Pabel, Eszter Polgári, Patricia Popelier, Clara Rauchegger, Michael Reiertsen and Henrik Wenander.
At the High Level Conference meeting in Copenhagen on 12 and 13 April 2018 under the Danish Chair... more At the High Level Conference meeting in Copenhagen on 12 and 13 April 2018 under the Danish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Copenhagen Declaration was adopted. This Declaration was much anticipated, as the draft version issued on 5 February 2018 by the Danish Government was heavily criticised. Academics, NGOs, national human rights institutions, members of national parliaments in PACE and civil servants expressed grave concern about the harm the draft Copenhagen Declaration could do to the Court’s independence and authority, about its misconstruction of the Court’s jurisdiction and role (especially when defining the Convention system’s subsidiary nature), its potential to undermine the universality of human rights, and its objective of installing new channels of ‘dialogue’, which could have the effect of exposing the Court to undue political pressure by national governments. Overall, most commentators agreed that the initial draft, if adopted as such, would damage the Convention’s system of protection of human rights in Europe as a whole. It has now turned out that much of this criticism was shared by a large number of States and that the text of the final Copenhagen Declaration is very different from the draft version in tone and content.
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Far from focusing exclusively on those voices that are currently raised so loud, conclusions are based on comparative in-depth reports, covering fifteen Contracting Parties and the EU.
With contributions of Olgun Akbulut, Tilmann Altwicker, Katarzyna Blay-Grabarczyk, Anna Gamper, Janneke Gerards, Krystyna Kowalik-Bańczyk, Sarah Lambrecht, Koen Lemmens, Lubomir Majerčík, Giuseppe Martinico, Roger Masterman, Aaron Matta, Christophe Maubernard, Armen Mazmanyan, Katharina Pabel, Eszter Polgári, Patricia Popelier, Clara Rauchegger, Michael Reiertsen and Henrik Wenander.