Germany

22/02/2021

One Year After Mietendeckel: How Berlin Rent Cap Works

A year ago, Berlin passed the Mietendeckel, "a rent cap law". How does it work today and what do city residents and landlords think about it?
22/12/2020

Repaying Historical Dues: Here Is Your European Passport

Today, a number of European states allow the descendants of people who fled their home countries in the 30-40s of the 20th century, or even in the 15th century, to restore their lost European citizenship. How do these legal initiatives work in practice? Can they remedy the injustices of the past?
09/11/2020

National Sovereignty or International Law? The Russian Constitution Has the Last Word

On January 2020, President Putin called for amending the Russian Constitution to establish its precedence over supranational judicial bodies, meaning, primarily, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Interestingly, this was not a new idea: Russian legal experts who for many years have been suggesting such an amendment to the Constitution had referred to German precedent.
20/01/2020

Is Germany Encouraging Migrants in Skilled Labour?

On 1 March 2020, a new Skilled Immigration Act will come into force in Germany. This law, like other, has contributed to migration intentions in Eastern Europe. However, a careful study of the changes introduced by the new law reveals that not all dreams of easy immigration and getting employment in Germany will come true. Who will find it easier to immigrate and find employment in Germany? What are the requirements set forth in the new law on immigration of skilled workers? These are just the questions we set out to answer.
01/03/2018

Nani Jansen Reventlow: “Time to fight back for our digital rights”

All over Europe, digital rights are under attack, and numerous organizations are already advocating and going to court to protect human rights in the digital sphere. To facilitate collaboration between digital rights actors and provide funds for strategic litigation for that cause, Digital Freedom Fund was established in Berlin.
14/11/2017

Malte Spitz: ‘In the Digital Era, Everyone Should Be in Control of Their Data’

Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (Society for Civil Rights) is one of the first European NGOs to use strategic litigation in the area of human and […]
28/04/2017

German Law on Social Media May Threaten Freedom of Expression  

On the threshold of parliamentary elections Germany is pushing the legislation against hate speech and fake news on social media. According to the proposed […]
31/01/2017

Human Rights and Businesses: on the Difficulty of Doing the Right Thing Well

I have an entrepreneurial friend in Spain who owns a successful business, making children’s clothes and selling them online. She has hired two seamstresses […]
31/01/2017

Tobias Münchmeyer: ‘Global Migration Processes, Terrorism and Security Have a Lot to Do with Resources and Energy Production’

Deputy Head of Greenpeace’s Political Unit (Berlin) talks about energy policy priorities for 2017, the economic benefits of alternative energy sources, and what to […]
31/01/2017

The Role of German Community Foundations in the Refugee Crisis

German community foundations, Bürgerstiftungen, lie at the heart of civil society in the country1Turner, 2009. Whilst they are a relatively young form of participating […]
30/01/2017

New Year’s Eve in Cologne: racism or prevention?

For the third consecutive year, New Year’s Eve festivities in Cologne become a matter for public debate. City police were accused of inaction in […]
19/01/2017

Germany Passes Federal Law for the Participation of Disabled People

The Bundesteilhabegesetz (Federal Participation Act), passed in December 2016, regulates support for disabled people’s participation in society, in a  significant reform of social laws […]