Law and Cosmopolitan Values – serie

Ensuring the protection of human rights in Europe has become a highly complex exercise. Where courts are faced with a human rights claim, they not only have to examine the validity of that claim, but also need to have a clear understanding of the human rights catalogue that is to be applied, i.e. human rights as guaranteed by the national constitution, human rights as protected under EU law, based or not on the Charter, and human rights as identified in the European Convention of Human Rights. This book zooms in on various aspects of the interaction between courts in the complex European system of human rights protection. While other books take either a European or a national approach, this book studies both the co-existence between the ECtHR and the ECJ, and the impact of this dual mechanism of European human rights protection on the protection offered within specific EU Member States. This makes it valuable for academics and practitioners specialized in either fundamental rights, EU law or constitutional law.

Issues of social inclusion and social protection were brought to the fore of political and academic discussions once again by the Treaty of Lisbon. The fight against social exclusion, the promotion of social justice and protection, as well as social cohesion are confirmed to be among the aims of the Union (Article 3 TEU). Moreover, requirements linked to the guarantee of adequate social protection and the fight against social exclusion should be considered both at the levels of design and implementation of EU policies and activities (Article 9 TFEU). The interaction between legal instruments and policy coordination in the field of social inclusion and social protection constitutes the theme of this book. The contributions essentially inquire whether there is any interaction at all, or if the two realms of law and policy of the EU function in parallel. If there is any sort of interchange between the two, in what areas is it taking place, and what does it result into? Legal and political scholars were invited to address these questions and analyse the involvement of the European Union in promoting social inclusion and protection.The book opens with two introductory chapters on the political and legal contexts, and then focuses on the specific cases of health care, pension systems, and means of combating poverty. Each subject matter has been addressed in a complementary fashion through the lenses of juridical and political sciences, which lends the book a cross-disciplinary approach.

What lies in the common interest of the international community? How are those common interests protected? What is the role of states and of the international community? The Common Interest in International Law provides answers to these key questions that international law is faced with in times of globalization, humanization and climate change. This book looks at the protection of common interests and shows how international law is progressively moving away from a system based on territorial sovereignty to a system based on shared responsibilities among states and other actors. The areas covered range from human rights law, international environmental law and international security law to international economic law and international litigation. The editors' objective is to investigate whether and how international law which historically is state-centric and consensual can protect common interests of humanity, when such common interests can only be safeguarded with the commitment and cooperation of all state and non-state actors. The issue of collective interests is subject to numerous current discourses in international law.This volume attempts to tie these together to a new - or renewed - understanding of 'common interest' reflective of contemporary challenges in international law. The concept of 'common interest' suggests that more is at stake in international law than the individual self-interests of states. Such notion might hold the key to transforming international law away from the dominance of sovereignty into a system which truly serves the interest of the "community", including all relevant actors. This book is essential reading for all scholars and practitioners of international law. It aims at stimulating and defining the topic of the protection of common interests by the international community across geographical as much as disciplinary boundaries.

The adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security in October 2000 marked the beginning of a global agenda on women in armed conflicts and post-conflict transition. Women, Peace and Security: Repositioning gender in peace agreements discusses the context and the content of this UN agenda and provides a systematic review of its implementation, over the last fifteen years, in peace agreements around the world.This book is timely, offering a valuable contribution to the literature on gender in armed conflicts, peace agreements, peace mediation, and transitional justice and is essential reading for practitioners and scholars working in this field. The study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to raise key theoretical and practical questions often overlooked by scholars working within the strict boundaries of the distinct disciplines. The book introduces a new dataset on peace agreements that provides important comprehensive evidence on the extent to which resolution 1325 and other subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security have impacted on peace agreements. Through the reflections of elite peacemakers, the book provides additional insights into the practice of peacemaking and the challenges of implementing the UN resolutions on women, peace and security on the ground.The findings of this book have important policy implications for governments, international organisations and NGOs who must refocus their efforts on bridging the gap between the theory and practice of gender sensitive peacemaking.

Participatory democracy has become a buzzword in current discussions about how to democratize the EU. European institutions associate it with civil society involvement in European governance and claim that it might reduce its so-called democratic deficit. The Treaty of Lisbon formalizes this promise by enacting a new Article 11 TEU specifically dedicated to participatory democracy as a founding principle of the EU legal order. This participatory turn has already attracted much scholarly attention. However, two fundamental paradoxes have been overlooked.Whereas participatory democracy was traditionally meant to further the maximum participation of citizens in political life, the EU supports a modern version of the participatory ideal where citizens are represented by a selfdesignated elite of civil society experts. This book takes a critical stance on that technocratic form of government. At the same time, it examines whether there are realistic ways for a bureaucratic organization like the EU to involve a truly civil society of active citizens in governance.Participatory democracy was also intended to overcome the social inequalities of market capitalism. Yet, the EU came into existence as a European economic community embracing free and undistorted competition. This book claims that European civil society may only flourish if social Europe acts as a counterweight to economic Europe. So it analyses whether the EU has developed a social dimension strong enough to protect civil society from the colonizing forces of European economic integration.The author is currently working as an attorney at Van Olmen & Wynant, a Brussels-based law firm with a niche expertise in social and employment law. He also holds a PhD in law from the University of Leicester, awarded for the doctoral thesis upon which this book is based.

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.

How are common interests protected in international dispute settlement? What is the role of different courts and tribunals? Why is the case law on common interests (in)consistent? Do we need more consistency for a better protection of common interests? Common Interests in International Litigation provides answers to questions that arise in international litigation as a result of an increasing recognition of common interests in this field and an ever-expanding network of specialised judicial bodies.Common Interests in International Litigation studies the case law of a number of international courts, focusing on international litigation concerning natural resource exploitation. This is a theme closely linked to a number of common interests, one which has been considered by a number of courts dealing with human rights, international security, international trade, international investment, the law of the sea, and more.This study aims to bring together the case law of these diverse judicial bodies to develop a common approach to common interests in international litigation. In contrast to previous studies that have focused on the approach to common or public interests in distinct legal regimes, this book offers an overview of the issue traversing traditional boundaries between legal regimes. It is therefore of particular interest to practitioners of international law and scholars specialising in the field seeking to broaden their horizons, and essential reading to all those interested in the enforcement of common interests at the international level.