Die Wiedereinführung von Grenzkontrollen im Schengen Raum: ein unverhältnismäßiges, unwirksames und unzulässiges Mittel der Pandemiebekämpfung

Author(s):  
Jörg Gerkrath

In March 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in Europe, several Member States, including the Federal Republic of Germany, saw fit to resort to the reintroduction of border controls with some of their neighbours, including the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This reintroduction was then justified by the urgency and the need to contain the spread of the virus. So that there is no misunderstanding: these were exclusively identity checks and checks on documents authorizing their holders to cross borders and not health checks to detect carriers of the virus. This contribution aims to establish, using the example of the German-Luxemburg border controls, that the use of this extraordinary means does not stand the test of its effectiveness, proportionality and even less of its legality. To the extent that the perpetrator was himself a victim of this extraordinary measure, he may be forgiven for the somewhat militant character of the following lines. The German Minister of the Interior, Mr Horst Seehofer, who took this decision on behalf of Germany, may have invoked the European Union (EU) Border Code as the legal basis for his decision to reintroduce internal border controls in the Schengen area, but it must be questioned whether he has complied with the letter and spirit of this regulation. An in-depth analysis of the provisions of this Borders Code (I.) shows indeed that the unilateral decision taken by Minister Seehofer was taken arbitrarily (II.) and does not stand the test of its validity under Union law (III.)

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-317
Author(s):  
Reinhard Mehring

After 1945, Carl Schmitt largely revoked his nationalist positions from before the war, although he also rarely publicly voiced his opinion about the Federal Republic of Germany and the development of the European Union. However, his complex system of categories offers manifold possibilities for an independent update. This paper aims to sketch the development of Schmitt?s friend-enemy theory in his Theory of the Partisan, adapting this treatise to present issues. It further tries to, using Schmitt?s categories, address the current situation in the EU from the perspective of the Federal Republic of Germany.


The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History is a multi-author survey of German history that features syntheses of major topics by an international team of scholars. Emphasizing demographic, economic, and political history, this text places German history in a denser transnational context than any other general history of Germany. It underscores the centrality of war to the unfolding of German history, and shows how it dramatically affected the development of German nationalism and the structure of German politics. It also reaches out to scholars and students beyond the field of history with detailed chapters on religious history and on literary history, as well as to contemporary observers, with reflections on Germany and the European Union, and on ‘multi-cultural Germany’. Covering the period from around 1760 to the present, this book represents a synthesis based on current scholarship. It constitutes the starting point for anyone trying to understand the complexities of German history as well as the state of scholarly reflection on Germany's dramatic, often destructive, integration into the community of modern nations. As it brings this story to the present, it also places the current post-unification Federal Republic of Germany into a multifaceted historical context.


Author(s):  
Bumke Christian ◽  
Voßkuhle Andreas

This chapter discusses the relevant provisions of Art. 23 et seq. of the Grundgesetz (GG) with regard to the international integration of the Federal Republic of Germany. Art. 23 establishes a special constitutional basis for Germany's participation in the founding of the European Union. Art. 23 para. 1 s. 2 GG contains a provision on authorisation to transfer sovereign powers, whereas Art. 23 para. 1 s. 1 includes a ‘structural safeguard clause’ which imposes limits on legislation integrating Germany into the EU. The chapter examines the Federal Constitutional Court's jurisprudence concerning Germany's integration into the EU, with emphasis on issues such as transfer of sovereign powers, the relationship between EU law and national law, and limits on the legislature when passing EU integration laws. It also considers the provision allowing Germany to enter into a collective security system, focussing on the limits on sovereign rights.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Ilya S. Iksanov ◽  

The article studies the institution of citizenship in the Federal Republic of Germany (the “FRG”) and analyzes the constitutional provisions of the FRG laws regulating the institution of citizenship. The FRG institution of citizenship is also reviewed in this article from the European law standpoint. Special attention is paid to the correlation of the following concepts: “citizen of Germany”, “German” and “citizen of the European Union”. The concept of “German” is broader than the concept of a “citizen of Germany”, and not only the belonging to the German race is of importance for referring to “Germans”, but also the effective procedure for acceptance of interested parties in Germany.


Author(s):  
D. V., Petrosyan

The Contemporary Federal Republic of Germany is the leader of the European Union, on which the development of the European Union and European-transatlantic relations largely depends. The Federal Republic of Germany determines the main content and direction of the EU policy towards the Russian Federation. Russian-German relations have a significant impact on the solution of many world problems. The unification of two states at the end of the 20th century – the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic — became one of the greatest and most significant events in the history of Germany and world politics. The creation of a unified German state contributed to the change of both the economic and political situation of Germany in Europe and in international relations. They are one of the determining factors of global politics and directly related to the European world order, therefore, the study of the philosophy and nature of German foreign policy in the postbipolar world is a topic and important task for specialists. The article considers the internal and external conditions and factors affecting the foreign policy of Germany in the postbipolar world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 180-185
Author(s):  
Novitskyi V. V.

The author of the article, first of all, draws attention to the current problems of protection and protection of human rights, which unfortunately are traced within the territorial jurisdiction of the European Union. Such problem is quite well demonstrated by Berbel Koffler, as the Commissioner of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on human rights and humanitarian aid policy. Indeed, the Ombudsman of Germany has raised a number of deep dilemmas: violence against human rights defenders on the grounds of their professional activity, the relation of human rights institutions with public security and economic development. In fact, these questions, in varying percentages, are equally relevant to many countries in the world. In the outlined context, the case of the European Court of Human Rights “Gabriel Weber and Caesar Richard Saravia v. Germany” of 29.06.06 was analyzed. Actually, this case covers directly the issues of human rights and national security of Germany. Grounds for initiating this case have arisen in connection with the legislative provisions of the Law of Germany on the Restriction of the Secret of Correspondence, Mail and Telecommunications of 13.08.68., ("Law G-10"), taking into account changes made under the Anti-Crime Act of 28.10.94, which extend the powers of the Federal Intelligence Service, within the so-called strategic monitoring. It is about collecting information by listening to telephone conversations in order to identify and prevent serious threats to the Federal Republic of Germany, such as: armed attacks on its territory, international terrorist attacks, other serious crimes. According to the applicants who worked as journalists, strategic monitoring can be used against individuals to prevent effective journalistic investigations. In view of these suspicions, the applicants argued that they had violated the human rights guaranteed by the Convention, such as the right to privacy and correspondence, the violation of press freedom, and the right to an effective remedy. The ECHR Judges, having examined the circumstances of the case, concluded that there were no grounds to satisfy the complaints on the basis of the following arguments: 2) German legislation, as part of strategic monitoring, is endowed with adequate and effective safeguards against abuse by authorized entities. In addition, the article analyzes the multi-vector issue of banning citizens of some European Union countries from wearing hats that completely or partially hide their faces. The fact is that, under such restrictions, in particular, the traditional clothing of women adherents of Islam has fallen. It is a “burqa” and a “niqab”. The presented study is mainly based on the legislative practice of France, Belgium, which provides for administrative as well as criminal penalties for non-compliance with the stated prohibition. In such cases as S.А.С. France, Belkacemi and Oussar v. Belgium, Dakir v. Belgium, the applicants, alleged that they had violated the human rights guaranteed by the Convention, including: the right to respect for their private life; the right to freedom of expression of one's religion or belief; the right to freedom of expression; the right to freedom of association; humiliating treatment and discrimination against the enjoyment of the abovementioned human rights. According to most ECHR judges, who have dealt with the said cases, the disputed prohibition is not necessary in a "democratic society for public safety" but its main task is to preserve the conditions of "cohabitation" as an element of "protection of the rights and freedoms of others." In the context of this debate, attention was paid indirectly to such EU Member States as: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland. Keywords: human rights, legal guarantees, security, privacy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-344
Author(s):  
Paul Lukas HÄHNEL

The article examines inter-parliamentary institutions as a factor for interstate cooperation in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. For this purpose, an analysis of the relationship between the parliamentary assembly of the European Communities, the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union and their connections to the Bundestag through dual mandates is carried out. Based on the relevant literature, the article highlights formal and informal inter-organizational links as well as partly overlapping and competing competences between these inter-parliamentary institutions. By using the example of the Federal Republic of Germany, multiple connections between the Bundestag and the emerging European parliamentary level are shown. Finally, the article focuses on the disentanglement of the parliamentary levels in the 1970s.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 537-562
Author(s):  
Geert de Baere

Abstract This chapter examines the choice of legal basis in EU external relations post-Lisbon in the light of the judgment of the Court of Justice in the Legal Basis for Restrictive Measures case. Before reaching the conclusion that the regulation at issue there was rightly based on Article 215(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and rejecting the European Parliament’s argument that the measure ought to have been taken on the basis of Article 75 TFEU, the Court made a number of important observations on the principles to be followed when choosing a legal basis and recalled some of its earlier case law, in particular Titanium Dioxide and its progeny. This chapter reflects upon the application of those principles in a post-Lisbon framework.


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