EU Free Movement, Immigration and Asylum Law: 2014 in review

 Steve PeersIntroductionThe issue of the free movement of EU citizens, as well as immigration and asylum from non-EU countries, has in recent years become one of the most contested issues in EU law. This blog post reviews the large number of legal developments over the last year in these two fields, assessing firstly the controversies over EU citizens’ free movement rights and secondly the tensions in EU immigration and asylum law between immigration...

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The beginning of the end for the Euro? EU Law constraints on leaving EMU or defaulting on debts

 Steve PeersAfter a couple of years without any (apparent) crisis, the future of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is threatened again, following the decision to call snap Greek elections in January. What would be the consequences if the anti-austerity party Syriza becomes the government? First of all, such an outcome is not yet certain. As Open Europe’s analysis points out, Syriza has only a modest lead in the polls, and even if it becomes...

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Childhood’s End: EU criminal law in 2014

 Steve PeersWith the elections to the European Parliament, the installation of a new European Commission, and a number of important legislative and case-law developments, 2014 was an important year for the European Union. This is the first in a series of blog posts reviewing the year in selected fields of EU law.  The most significant change to EU criminal law came on December 1, when the five-year transitional period relating to EU criminal...

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Could EU law save Paddington Bear? The CJEU develops a new type of protection

 Steve PeersMany readers may already be familiar with Colin Yeo’s brilliant blog post, imagining Paddington Bear’s unpleasant encounter with British immigration law. But could EU law save Paddington Bear, in particular by creating a new form of protection for those who have to flee their country of origin? BackgroundEU law has regulated in detail two forms of international protection: refugee status (based on the UN’s Geneva Convention) and...

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