The EU has long warned Germany that its efforts to protect nature under the Flora-Fauna-Habitats Directive were not adequate. Now, the European Commission is taking Germany to the European Court of Justice for violating nature and conservation laws.
Source: Euronews
The Czech Republic has filed a lawsuit against Poland at the Court of Justice of the European Union, saying it had violated the bloc’s law with the expansion of mining at the Turow lignite mine.
Source: Reuters
President Emmanuel Macron lamented that the French have become “a nation of 66 million prosecutors”. He may have a point: Whether battling climate change or racial profiling by police, activists and ordinary citizens are pursuing groundbreaking legal action to force his government into action.
Source: France 24
Greece’s government introduced a raft of proposals designed to combat sexual abuse after a wave of #MeToo allegations rocked the country by putting forward changes to the statute of limitations in cases involving children and ask courts to prioritise sexual abuse cases.
Source: Politico
On March 1, harsher penalties for violations of the activities of "foreign agents" came into force in the Russian Federation. High fines and criminal liability of up to five years of imprisonment are foreseen.
Source: DW
Germany’s government has reached agreement on legislation that obliges German companies to carry out due diligence regarding human rights and environmental issues in supply chains globally.
Source: Reuters
The European Commission decided to send letters of formal notice to Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland, and Sweden as their national laws do not fully or accurately transpose EU rules on combating racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.
Source: Brussels Times
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has demanded that Russia release opposition politician Alexey Navalny from custody immediately. According to his lawyer Olga Mikhailova, the Russian authorities are obliged to comply with this ruling, in according with the rules of the European Court.
Source: Meduza
Portugal’s president asked the country’s Constitutional Court to evaluate a recent law passed by parliament that allows euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill and gravely injured people.
Source: AP
The European Commission began an infringement procedure against Hungary over a controversial law requiring foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to disclose their donors to authorities or face fines.
Source: DW
An Amsterdam court rejected the extradition of a Polish narcotrafficking suspect to his home country, citing rule of law concerns and “a real risk” the defendant wouldn’t get a fair trial in Poland. This decision marks a further escalation of the political and legal battle between the EU and Warsaw.
Source: Politico
The trial of a suspected warlord accused of atrocities during Liberia's civil war has started in Finland. He is accused of killing civilians and soldiers who had just been disarmed, rape and recruiting child soldiers. He denies the charges and says he was taking part in peace talks at the time of the alleged crimes.
Source: BBC