30 January 2026
New Constitution, Anyone?
On 8 February 2026, Thai voters will be asked to decide whether their country should get a new constitution – without seeing a single draft. The deceptively simple referendum question exposes a deeper struggle over who truly wields constitutional power in Thailand: the people or the institutions that claim to act in their name. Beneath the promise of participation lies a familiar pattern of “anti-popular constitutionalism,” where formal democracy conceals enduring control from above. Continue reading >>
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29 January 2026
Hessischer Eigensinn
Kurz vor den Kommunalwahlen hat der Hessische Staatsgerichtshof eine Änderung des Kommunalwahlgesetzes für verfassungswidrig erklärt, mit der CDU und SPD im Frühjahr vergangenen Jahres die Sitzzuteilung bei Kommunalwahlen zurück zum d’Hondtschen Höchstzahlverfahren geändert haben. Die Entscheidung weicht von der bisherigen Linie des Bundesverfassungsgerichts ab – auf den ersten Blick zugunsten kleinerer Parteien, bei genauer Hinsicht womöglich aber auch zu ihren Lasten. Continue reading >>
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European AI FOMO
The last 12 months have seen an extraordinary shift in the European Commission’s approach to digital regulation. In the policy shift, one of the major forces shaping the European Commission’s agenda may be described as AI FOMO (“fear of missing out”). The primary focus of this post is the proposed legislative reforms and their manifestation in deregulatory strategies. This post charts how such an agenda is driving Commission policy and highlights how AI FOMO is driving deregulation in EU digital law. Continue reading >>
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28 January 2026
Noch einmal nach Luxemburg
Die Entscheidung des Zweiten Senats des BVerfG in der Rechtssache Egenberger ist in den bisherigen Reaktionen auf überwiegende Zustimmung gestoßen. Dieser Zustimmung kann man sich in vielen Punkten anschließen: Ton und Grundhaltung sind gegenüber dem EuGH konziliant. Es bestehen jedoch ernstzunehmende Zweifel, ob das BVerfG mit seiner auf das kirchliche Selbstbestimmungsrecht ausgerichteten Rechtsprechung das Schutzniveau der Unionsgrundrechte wahrt. Um eben diese Fragen zu klären, wäre das BAG zu einer erneuten Vorlage an den EuGH verpflichtet. Continue reading >>
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The State Duty Not to Approve New Fossil Fuels
A growing number of cases worldwide are challenging State approval of new fossil fuel projects: from Ireland to Guyana, Greece to South Africa. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, describes such projects as “moral and economic madness”. But since 2021, over 2,300 new extraction projects and 119 new LNG Terminals have been approved for development worldwide. States’ approval of new fossil fuel projects is fundamentally incompatible with their international law duties. Continue reading >>
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27 January 2026
Berlin ist nicht Brokdorf
In der berühmten Brokdorf-Entscheidung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts von 1985 hatte die Protestbewegung ihre verfassungsrechtliche Legalisierung erfahren; die Versammlungsfreiheit wird seither als „eines der vornehmsten Menschenrechte überhaupt“ angesehen. Dieses Brokdorf-Paradigma ist erschöpft. Die seit dem 7. Oktober 2023 sichtbaren Versammlungsrechtskonflikte – jüngst etwa: das VG Berlin zur Auflösung des „Palästina-Kongresses“ – markieren nicht bloß Vollzugsdefizite, sondern das Ende des Brokdorf-Paradigmas selbst. Continue reading >>“Hypocrisy Implies a Moral Code”
The US raid capturing Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, triumphed tactically, yet skipped serious international legal defense. Unlike prior administrations that bent law to justify force, Trump's team relies on regime crimes and success alone, sidelining global norms. Without even hypocritical legal nods, as Orwell noted even hypocrisy needs a code, international law's binding force crumbles. Continue reading >>
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The Rule‑of‑Law Reports Embedded in Political Conditions
While the EU is navigating both external geopolitical instability and internal challenges to constitutional norms, these pressures have made the annual Rule of Law Reports more politically consequential than ever. Yet the persistence of the rule of law crisis reveals a deeper political reality: the effectiveness of the Reports depends less on their design than on the domestic political conditions in which they land. Where illiberal incumbents remain entrenched, they are easily deflected, reframed as external interference, or simply ignored. Continue reading >>
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26 January 2026
How Ukraine Should Join the European Union
The European Union is ill prepared for the new world of geopolitical competition. It faces grave external threats, some from unexpected quarters, and struggles to be united in its response. Eurosceptic and nationalist forces continue to obstruct the EU's internal reform. But there are external challenges, principally Ukraine, that will not disappear by the charm of inaction. If a sovereign Ukraine is to be salvaged, it must be admitted to EU membership, and quickly. Continue reading >>
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Sins of the Fathers
Egypt’s most chaotic election produced not only allegations of fraud, but a subtle and consequential judicial shift: military service was recast as a condition of political eligibility. A discretionary administrative exclusion was turned into a permanent bar from office, with far-reaching effects for opposition candidates and democratic representation. Through technical legal reasoning rather than overt repression, courts reshape electoral competition and redistribute political power. Continue reading >>
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24 January 2026
Case C‑19/23 on the Minimum Wage Directive
The Decision on the validity of the “Minimum Wage Directive” from November 2025 was analysed from several aspects, but in the present commentary, I focus on the Court’s interpretation of the limit set by Article 153(5) TFEU to the Union’s legislative competence. The latter excludes the adoption of measures relating to […] “pay”. Arguably, the Court’s reasoning shrinks the contours of the exclusion of “pay”, thereby limiting the practical reach of Article 153(5) TFEU in a way that invites consideration of whether the retained national competences are taken seriously. Continue reading >>
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23 January 2026
Bildbasiert aber unsichtbar
„Hey Grok, put her in a bikini“. Laut aktuellen Schätzungen hat Grok etwa 3 Millionen sexualisierte Bilder in weniger als zwei Wochen generiert. Wer Schutz beim deutschen Rechtsstaat sucht, wird – wie ich – enttäuscht: Im Dezember 2023 habe ich, damals 21 Jahre alt, Dutzende Deepnudes von mir auf einer großen Social-Media-Plattform gefunden. Doch das Sexualstrafrecht erfasst pornografische Deepfakes in der Regel nicht. In den nächsten zwei Jahren fühlte ich mich von der Justiz allein gelassen. Sowohl die Debatte um Grok als auch meine Erfahrungen zeigen: Es braucht einen eigenen Straftatbestand, der pornografische Deepfakes bereits ab der Erstellung kriminalisiert. Continue reading >>Von Werten zu Vetos
Die Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz (GWK) ist das Herzstück der föderalen Wissenschaftsfinanzierung – und zugleich ihre Achillesferse. Die GWK kann durch einzelne Länder leicht blockiert werden, wodurch gerade Nobelpreisschmieden wie die Max-Planck-Institute in Gefahr sind. Sollte die AfD künftig in einem Land die Regierung stellen, könnte sie diese Strukturen für weitreichende Blockaden der Wissenschaftsfinanzierung nutzen. Dies würde ihr auch ermöglichen, die Finanzierung von Hochschulen an politische Bedingungen zu knüpfen. Continue reading >>
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Kreditaufnahme statt Konfiskation
Am 14. Januar 2026 veröffentlichte die Europäische Kommission eine Reihe von Legislativvorschlägen, um die Vergabe eines 90-Milliarden-Euro-Darlehens der EU an die Ukraine zu ermöglichen. Seit dem EU-Gipfel vom 18. Dezember 2025 steht fest, dass dieses Darlehen durch eine Kreditaufnahme der Union am Kapitalmarkt finanziert werden soll, nicht durch den Einsatz der russischen „frozen assets“. Diese Form der Finanzierung muss sich in den Rahmen des geltenden Primärrechts fügen. Aus europaverfassungsrechtlicher Perspektive spricht einiges dafür, die Kreditaufnahme im Eigenmittelbeschluss der Union zu verankern. Continue reading >>
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Capital Punishment Revivalism
Israel has long been considered abolitionist, having executed only one individual in its history. While past attempts to reinstate the death penalty have proven unsuccessful, the horrendous scale of the October 7 attack and the ensuing traumatic war have been used to generate political momentum. A new bill, which passed its first reading in the Knesset in November 2025, would impose the death penalty for terrorism-related offenses. The bill should be understood as part of a broader capital punishment revivalism trend in populist regimes, with Israel potentially setting a dangerous precedent for attempts to reinstate the death penalty in Europe and beyond. Continue reading >>
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22 January 2026
Between Scylla and Charybdis
Can a national constitution guaranteeing public higher education allow private foreign universities? The Greek Council of State said yes, opening the way for the coexistence between public and private educational institutions. Even though the Council inappropriately resorted to an EU-conforming interpretation against the Constitution's wording and refused to request a preliminary ruling from the EU Court of Justice, its judgment is a prime example of “multilevel constitutionalism”. Continue reading >>
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Indigenous Self‑Determination and Greenland
Greenland’s predominantly Inuit population is recognized as an Indigenous People with a corresponding right to self‑determination under international law. Any external attempt to alter Greenland’s sovereignty – including annexation by the United States – would violate that right and therefore cannot be lawful without the freely expressed will of the Greenlandic people. Continue reading >>
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21 January 2026
Accession by Algorithm
For over twenty years, the EU has viewed Albania as a potential accession candidate. Albania has since applied, undergone reviews, and obtained candidate status, yet core reforms have lagged amid political polarization and persistent corruption. Against this backdrop, the government has, since 2023, turned to AI – using it to translate and consolidate legislation, screen procurement opportunities, and even assign a system to a cabinet-level role. While these initiatives promise efficiency, transparency, and participation, they risk treating symptoms rather than the deeper ethical and institutional reforms required for EU acquis alignment. Continue reading >>
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Independence as Immunity
The Italian Data Protection Authority, a cornerstone in the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation, is currently at the centre of an unprecedented judicial crisis. Recent searches by the police have involved the entire Board – including the President – on grave allegations of embezzlement and corruption. The scandal exposes a structural vulnerability in the European governance model for data protection: the independence of DPAs risks degenerating into immunity if it is not balanced by a robust and proactive system of external accountability. Continue reading >>Accommodation at Any Cost
The OECD opened 2026 with a new deal on the “way forward on [the] global minimum tax package”. The new ‘side-by-side arrangement’ legalises this exceptional position for US companies. The EU has implemented the initial global minimum tax through a Directive, and Member States have implemented the rules domestically. I believe that the amendments to that legislation through the side-by-side deal highlight democratic deficiencies by delegating the formulation of tax norms to international forums. Continue reading >>
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Racialized, but Equal?
The Danish housing law is an instructive example of what has long been described as the racialisation of poverty. Racialised groups are disproportionately represented among those living in poverty in Europe, due to historical and structural inequalities, while poverty itself becomes associated with these groups and framed as an individual or cultural failing rather than systemic injustice. While extensively analysed in sociology and critical race theory, the racialisation of poverty remains strikingly undertheorised in law. Continue reading >>
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20 January 2026
Reforming the Italian “Magistracy”
On 30th October 2025, the Italian Parliament approved a constitutional amendment that will be put to a referendum in March 2026. A brainchild of the Meloni government, the reform redesigns the constitutional framework governing Italy’s judicial system. Among other changes, it separates previously unified career paths for prosecutors and judges, and introduces a mechanism of appointment by sortition for members of all these bodies. Read in its historical and political context, we argue, the reform problematically weakens the third branch of the Italian system of government. Continue reading >>
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Double-Layered Horizontal Effect
In the Egenberger case, the CJEU again effectuated a directive’s content via the horizontal direct effect of EU fundamental rights. The FCC not only continues to show openness to the CJEU’s approach, but even finds that notwithstanding differences in legal construction, it can achieve equivalent substantive results via its own doctrine of indirect horizontal effect. This leads to a curious result that may be described as a “double-layered horizontal effect”: Effectuating a directive via both the horizontal direct effect of EU fundamental rights and the indirect horizontal effect of German fundamental rights. Continue reading >>
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Ziobro’s Asylum in Hungary
In early January 2026, media reports indicated that Hungary had granted political asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General and a leading figure of the Law and Justice (PiS) government, who is currently facing criminal investigations in Poland. The granting of political asylum by one EU Member State to a citizen of another Member State is not merely unusual; it is structurally exceptional under EU law. Continue reading >>
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19 January 2026
“The Centre of Conflict Itself”
In late November, the German Ministry of Defense and the German Foreign Office jointly published the first-ever “Space Safety and Security Strategy”. Its most remarkable aspect is the straightforward recognition of Outer Space “increasingly [as] the centre of conflict itself”. In the absence of a comprehensive multilateral treaty, the specific application of international law’s principles to the military uses of Outer Space is currently under development. Given significant divisions among spacefaring states, this legal order will most likely crystallize through a non-linear, heterogeneous process of individual statements, actions, and reactions. Germany’s strategy chimes into this debate and sets the tone for a much-anticipated Federal Space Law. Continue reading >>
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18 January 2026
Politik unter der Flagge von Wissenschaft?
Neutralität ist kein Machtinstrument, sondern eine professionelle Haltung. Der Vorwurf, Objektivität diene heute vor allem der Disziplinierung kritischer Stimmen, greift zu kurz. Nicht politische Enthaltung, sondern die klare Trennung von wissenschaftlicher Analyse und politischer Stellungnahme schützt die Glaubwürdigkeit der Rechtswissenschaft – gerade in unruhigen Zeiten. Wer unter dem Banner der Wissenschaft politisch interveniert, riskiert, wissenschaftliche Autorität zu missbrauchen. Verantwortung zeigt sich in methodischer Disziplin und der bewussten Begrenzung der eigenen Rolle. Continue reading >>Neutralität als Fiktion
Neutralität im Recht verspricht Objektivität und Distanz, doch sie entpuppt sich als historisch normiertes Machtinstrument, das heute vor allem kritische Stimmen in Institutionen und Wissenschaft zum Schweigen bringt – während der Schutz des Status quo als unpolitisch durchgeht. Früher begrenzte sie staatliche Macht, nun dreht sie das Blatt zugunsten asymmetrischer Rhetorik, die Demokratieverteidigung delegitimiert. Die Antwort heißt reflexive Objektivität: Prämissen transparent machen, Machtverhältnisse beleuchten und bei Angriffen auf die Verfassung aktiv Verantwortung übernehmen. Continue reading >>Greenland and the Spectre of Dispossession
When it came to grabbing territory, the British had effective techniques by the 1960s. Morning-tea at Downing Street could accomplish what a U.S President’s incontinent media posts have been threatening to do with much froth and fury since 2019: The dispossession of the Chagossians was sealed during one morning in 1965, and should now serve as a cautionary tale for Greenland. Like the Chagos Archipelago, Greenland might find itself dismembered and carved up to serve the security interests of Europe. The path to dispossession is being built on the fallacy that the Arctic zone presents a security threat to the U.S and Europe. The true peril, however, comes from the interconnected vulnerabilities of climate destruction and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Continue reading >>
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16 January 2026
Two Non-Constitutional Non-Democracies
Later this year, parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary and Israel, two autocratizing countries, whose incumbents are close allies of Donald Trump. The prospects for democratic and constitutional recovery in both Hungary and Israel depend not only on domestic political conditions but also on an increasingly permissive global environment in which systems of governance that fail to meet the requirements of either constitutionalism or democracy reinforce and normalize autocratization. Continue reading >>No Elegy for Ultra Vires
Heiko Sauer recently diagnosed a “course correction in European constitutional law”. In light of the Second Senate’s Egenberger judgment, he paints a picture of a Federal Constitutional Court returning to calmer waters after the seismic aftershocks of the PSPP judgment. As tempting as this interpretation may be – driven by a desire for a harmonious cooperative relationship between courts –, it risks equating the mere absence of open conflict with structural pacification. I would like to both add to and modify Sauer’s thesis: institutionalisation, rather than the “deflation” of review, which just reduces its effectiveness, is the solution. Continue reading >>
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Freiwillig heute, Pflicht morgen
„[N]ous avons besoin de mobilisation“ – mit diesem Ruf nach militärischer Mobilisierung leitete Präsident Macron 2025 die französische Wehrdienstreform ein. Frankreich und Deutschland verfolgen nun eine Rückbesinnung auf diesen Dienst, ohne aber die klassische Wehrpflicht wieder einzuführen. Beide Länder reagieren auf neue Bedrohungen mit innovativen freiwilligen Diensten – statt eines Zwangsdienstes. Wie sich zeigen wird, verfolgen sie mit dieser Lösung einen Schlingerkurs zwischen historischem Pflichtbewusstsein und modernen freiheitlichen Wertevorstellungen. Continue reading >>15 January 2026
Der Richter ist sein Henker
Die Wahl eines neuen Richters des montenegrinischen Verfassungsgerichts am 25. November 2025 hat einmal mehr ein strukturelles Problem offengelegt: Die Richter:innen entscheiden faktisch über das Ende ihrer eigenen Amtszeit – und können dadurch die verfassungsgemäße Erneuerung des Gerichts blockieren. Damit steht nicht nur die Nachbesetzung einzelner Stellen, sondern die Funktionsfähigkeit des Verfassungsgerichts – und damit der Verfassungsordnung insgesamt – auf dem Spiel. Continue reading >>“It’s Geoeconomics, Stupid”
“It’s the economy, stupid”, the famous catchphrase in the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign, emphasized the importance of economic growth and stability for US voters. The economic argument was also decisive for Trump’s second win. While he promised the return of a US golden age, the US economy has so far been riding on a rollercoaster. As world economies remain interconnected – even in a postliberal view – the Greenland crisis puts geoeconomics centre stage, with the United States using economic and coercive instruments to achieve strategic geopolitical goals. Continue reading >>
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14 January 2026
Remaking the United Nations
It has long been recognised that the institutional structure of the United Nations—most centrally, the veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council—is deeply problematic. What is now at stake is not whether the United Nations can be improved, but whether it can continue to function when its most powerful members openly exempt themselves from its core commitments. We have reached the point when the Charter’s principles require rethinking the UN’s institutional form. Continue reading >>Grabbing Greenland
The US have doubled down on their threats to seize Greenland, oscillating between long-standing demands that Denmark sell the island to more recent allusions that force may be used if it doesn’t. Trump’s antics over Greenland have politically divided allies and left NATO and the EU de facto and de jure compromised. In this situation, willing, able and trusted states would be well advised to strengthen a European pillar which is complementary to NATO, i.e. one that can plug and play with the US in the Alliance where it can, and autonomously where it must. Continue reading >>
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Bremer Türöffner zur klimaresilienten Finanzverfassung
Die Klimakrise stellt den Staat vor langfristige Aufgaben, deren Bewältigung erhebliche finanzielle Mittel erfordert. Ob die bestehende Finanzverfassung mitsamt der Schuldenbremse eine klimakrisenbedingte Kreditaufnahme ermöglicht, ist seit einiger Zeit umstritten. Der Staatsgerichtshof Bremen beantwortet diese Frage mit dem Urteil vom 23. Oktober 2025, indem er die Klimakrise als „außergewöhnliche Notsituation“ anerkennt. Dies ist bemerkenswert: Während das Bundesverfassungsgericht im KTF-Urteil die explizite Einordnung der Klimakrise offengelassen hatte, schließt Bremen diese Lücke nun ausdrücklich. Continue reading >>Keeping Up with Changing Times
The Venice Commission’s Rule of Law Checklist is one of the most influential soft-law instruments for assessing constitutional governance in Europe and beyond. In December 2025, this comprehensive framework has recently undergone a significant update. The revised text reframes the rule of law in light of new challenges. The result is a complex document that captures the defining features of today’s digital constitutionalism, where constitutional democracies and human rights are not only threatened by public authorities, but also by private actors governing spaces which are formally private but practically functioning as public squares. Continue reading >>13 January 2026
Simmenthal in Strasbourg
In Europa Way S.r.l. v. Italy, the ECtHR delivered its judgment on 27 November 2025. For the first time, the ECtHR required domestic courts of EU Member States to set aside national legislation that is incompatible with EU law, thereby aligning itself with the strand of case-law of the CJEU dating back to Simmenthal II (1978). While this alignment with EU law is to be welcomed in principle, the way in which the ECtHR assessed the legal consequences arising from the CJEU’s prior judgment is doctrinally questionable. Continue reading >>European Solidarity and Union Citizens in Greenland
While the EU and its Member States have consistently signalled solidarity with Denmark and Greenland since Trump’s inauguration in early 2025, Europe’s strategy so far has been cautious and may no longer be sufficient. The current situation will test whether European solidarity can evolve beyond rhetoric into a form of “defence solidarity”, ultimately requiring Member States to share military burdens in defence of both Greenlandic Union citizens and European sovereignty. Continue reading >>
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Taiwan’s Xiaohongshu Ban and Freedom of Expression
On December 4, 2025, Taiwan's Ministry of Interior imposed a one-year ban on Xiaohongshu (Rednote), a Chinese social media platform, which has become an important source of everyday information, particularly for younger users in Taiwan. The government’s decision to block access to the platform raises fundamental questions about platform governance in democracies: how should governments balance cybersecurity concerns with freedom of expression? These questions arise with particular intensity in Taiwan. Continue reading >>
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Greenland and US Annexation Threats
Regardless of whether the US administration’s renewed threat to annex Greenland materializes, its multiple legal ramifications warrant serious analysis under public international law and within the EU legal order as mediated by Danish domestic law. President Trump has not only refused to rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland but has also repeatedly doubled down on his annexation ambitions, transforming what might once have been dismissed as rhetorical provocation into a credible geopolitical scenario. Continue reading >>12 January 2026
Wo die Nachtigall trapst
In einer nächtlichen Kommandoaktion lässt Donald Trump Nicolás Maduro nach New York entführen und erklärt Strafverfolgung zum Instrument globaler Macht – begrenzt allein durch seine eigene Moral. Weder der Vorwurf des „Narcoterrorismus“, noch demokratische Defizite, noch historische Präzedenzfälle tragen völkerrechtlich eine solche Gewaltanwendung. Auf dem Spiel steht damit nicht nur das Schicksal Maduros, sondern die Frage, ob das Völkerrecht noch verbindliche Grenze der Macht ist oder zum Feigenblatt gewaltsamer Regimewechsel verkommt. Continue reading >>
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Religionssensibles Unionsrecht im Grundrechtspluralismus
„Doomsday“ ist ausgefallen. Die schaurige Faszination für den Rechtskonflikt, die einige Beobachter aus Medien und Rechtswissenschaft teilen, erhält keine neue Nahrung. Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hat mit seinem langerwarteten Beschluss in der Sache Egenberger eine kluge und ausgewogene Entscheidung getroffen. Es hat weder das kirchliche Arbeitsrecht musealisiert und seine etablierte Rechtsprechung aufgegeben, noch eine Kraftprobe mit dem Europäischen Gerichtshof begonnen und den unionsrechtlichen Vorrang geleugnet. Continue reading >>10 January 2026
Retreating from Internationalism
On January 7, President Trump issued a memorandum, “Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States.” The memorandum lists 66 entities for withdrawal, many of which are connected to the United Nations. This is another dramatic signal from the Trump Administration. It shows scorn for the global commons and disdain for the United Nations. The symbolic impact is obvious and vicious. The practical impact is harder to measure. Continue reading >>
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09 January 2026
Repression Through Interpol
Belarus weaponizes Interpol Red Notices to hunt exiled activists across Europe, as seen in filmmaker Andrei Hnyot's year-long detention on fabricated tax charges. This creates a procedural paradox for the EU: mutual-trust systems like Schengen must filter politicized data to uphold ECHR Article 3 and Charter Article 19 non-refoulement duties. Can Europe's constitutional safeguards withstand this authoritarian assault on cooperative policing? Continue reading >>
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The Rohingya Case Gets a Hearing
On 12 January 2026, the International Court of Justice will commence the oral proceedings in Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v Myanmar). Over the course of three weeks, the ICJ will hear arguments concerning The Gambia’s claim that Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya ethnic minority within its territory has breached Myanmar’s obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The Gambia v Myanmar provides the ICJ with a key and timely opportunity to clarify the law of genocide, especially in situations of armed conflict or counter-insurgency. Continue reading >>God Save Freedom of Expression
An art exhibition by Cypriot artist George Gavriel was cancelled last month following intense political and social reactions, culminating in death threats and a violent attack. The episode raises a fundamental question under Article 10 ECHR: can the suppression of artistic expression through political instrumentalization and institutional withdrawal amount to an interference with freedom of expression in the absence of a formal ban? Read against the Court’s jurisprudence, the Gavriel episode illustrates a broader structural failure rather than an isolated anomaly. Continue reading >>08 January 2026
Try harder hilft selten
Kriminalitätsbelastete Orte in Berlin werden durch die neue ASOG-Novelle (§ 24e) zu Hochburgen automatisierter Videoüberwachung und KI-gestützter Verhaltensanalyse – ein massiver Eingriff ins Recht auf informationelle Selbstbestimmung. Trotz Versprechen gegen Racial Profiling und diskriminierende Algorithmen bleibt die Regulierung vage, Evidenz zur Wirksamkeit fehlt, und Stereotype drohen Stigmatisierung zu verstärken. Hält die Novelle verfassungsrechtlich stand? Continue reading >>07 January 2026
Allwissende Polizei?
Sachsen plant ein neues Polizeigesetz, das intelligente Datenanalysen, KI-gestützte Videoüberwachung und biometrische Abgleiche zum Kern polizeilicher Gefahrenabwehr macht – mit Signalwirkung weit über den Freistaat hinaus. Die „Algorithmisierung“ der Informationsarbeit verschiebt Eingriffsschwellen ins Gefahrenvorfeld, verdichtet Grundrechtseingriffe, erzeugt neue Diskriminierungsrisiken und verlagert zentrale Weichenstellungen vom Parlament in die Verwaltung. Damit stellt sich zugespitzt die Frage, wie viel technologisch gestützte Effizienz eine freiheitliche Ordnung verträgt, bevor sie ihre eigenen verfassungsrechtlichen Grenzen überschreitet. Continue reading >>Harmonizing Corporate Unsustainability
On December 16, 2025, the European Parliament approved the Omnibus I package, a deregulation initiative that amends key EU corporate sustainability instruments, including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. While Schönfelder and Streibelt argued that despite the amendments, “the CSDDD remains strong, especially its obligations on human rights and environmental due diligence”, I contend precisely the opposite. Continue reading >>
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