State of the Union - Barroso Speech

Russia's take on the territorial application of the ECHR

It is very rare for Contracting States of the European Convention (ECHR) to be brought before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) by other Contracting States. The case of Georgia v Russia (no. 2) is one of those rare occasions.

What's the problem with the "Like" button?

Just found this (slightly funny) bit:

German minister against Facebook 'like' button

By EUOBSERVER

German consumer protection minister Ilse Aigner has said that social networking site Facebook's 'like' button is in breach of EU and German data privacy laws, reports Handelsblatt newspaper. Data protections officers fear that companies can use the information about which consumers click on 'like' buttons for advertising purposes.

So no more like button? Wouldn't that be annoying? Then we'd actually have to think of something to write on our friends' status instead of just (lazy as we are) clicking the like button...

To cut up a subject matter in two...

...might be the best way to tell you about starting my Masters in European Law at Leiden University.

Austerity Measures vs. Sovereignty

The eternal discussion of national sovereignty contra unification (or federalism) is highlighted as the pressure of austerity measures on member states of the Eurozone lead to increasing popular unrest. To add a little extra spice to the discussion, the Dutch government has proposed that Eurozone members who do not implement sufficient measures to tackle economic problems should be appointed a European commissioner who, temporarily, will take control of spending decisions. Refusal to such an appointment should, according to the Government, lead to expulsion from the Eurozone.