Some New Links!

Hello – here are some new EU links (which will also find a permanent home in the blogroll). Firstly the European Voice is excellent for all things european and furthermore is an independent voice on EU news and affairs – you can find it HERE. Secondly Gavin Hewitt’s Europe is a blog from the BBC’s Europe editor and is always current and up to date – you can find it HERE. Lastly there is the European Law Students Association (ELSA) which is the world’s largest independent law student association and there are events which you can become involved with – you can find it HERE.

Francovich + State Liability

Something a little extra from the Jean Monnet Center for International & Regional Law & Justice (phew!) which is part of the NYU School of Law.  You can find it HERE. Remember that you can find all of the main cases at EUROPA.

Lisbon Treaty + General Principles

A short post this week.  Next week we are covering general principles in tutorials i.e. the main fundamental issues which are the basis of EU law.  So how will the Lisbon Treaty (yes that again!) influence these principles in the future for europe and its citizens?  Well have a look HERE.

Federalism Federalism

We have now moved on to federalism which will not only be discussed in next weeks tutorials but is also the topic of your first piece of coursework. Will the newly ratified (the Czechs have now made this possible) Lisbon Treaty make any difference? This post will merely be a sign post to discussions on the subject (the rest is up to you).  There is a website dedicated to such a discussion called Federal Union and you can find it HERE.  This is an interesting article by R. Daniel Keleman (from Oxford University but on Princeton’s pages) HERE.  There is an article from the Telegrapah in 2003 where Gordon Brown (then the Chancellor) criticising EU federalism and was being rather eurosceptic HERE.  Something more political is website called the New Federalist which also discusses other EU issues is HERE. . What does the official EUROPA site say on the subject and how is the EU system made up – see HERE.  The judgement HERE of the German Constitutional Court on the Lisbon Treaty and Europe not becoming a federal state is interesting.  O.k. the last one is an interesting article by Dr Thomas Schmitz from 2005 which discusses the conception of the European Union and what kind of system it might be – its HERE.  Oh one more thing you maybe be wondering what the above picture is (or not)? Well it is a flag – the original EU flag in fact (it’s a big ‘E’) but is now used by activists promoting federalism in the EU – read more about it HERE.