Adam Lazowski

Poland: constitutional tribunal on the surrender of Polish citizens under the European Arrest Warrant. Decision of 27 April 2005

Just as some were getting ready to uncork bottles of champagne in celebration of the first anniversary of the enlargement of the European Union with ten member states, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal delivered an important judgment assessing the conformity of provisions of the Penal Procedure Code, transposing the European Arrest Warrant with the Polish Constitution. In the decision, which potentially has effects beyond the Polish legal system, the Tribunal annulled the transposing legislation (with a delay of 18 months) because it infringed Article 55(1), which states that ‘The extradition of a Polish citizen shall be prohibited’.

When Cives Europae became bargaining chips: free movement of persons in the Brexit negotiations

This article aims at taking stock of the Brexit developments thus far and provides the readers with an analysis of how, broadly understood, immigration has contributed to the results of the referendum and what role it plays in the negotiations between the EU and the UK.

Research Handbook on EU Institutional Law

Research Handbook on EU Institutional Law offers a critical look into the European Union: its legal foundations, competences and institutions. It provides an analysis of the EU legal system, its application at the national level and the prevalent role of the Court of Justice. Throughout the course of the Handbook the expert contributors discuss whether the European Union is well equipped for the 21st century and the numerous crises it has to handle. They revisit the call for an EU reform made in the Laeken Conclusions in 2001 to verify if its objectives have been achieved by the Treaty of Lisbon and in daily practice of the EU institutions. The book also delves into the concept of a Europe of different speeds, which - according to some - is inevitable in the EU comprising 28 Member States. Overall, the assessment of the changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty is positive, even if there are plenty of suggestions for further reforms to re-fit the EU for purpose.

It was a good year....wasn’t it?

When a calendar year comes to an end, many of us pause to reflect on the previous twelve months. Just like a vigneron who takes the first sip of Beaujolais nouveau to see what the new harvest is like. With it comes a question: was it a good year? As always, the answer is neither a straightforward ‘yes’ nor a simple ‘no’. The same applies to the European Union where 2013 was neither black nor white but rather full of shades of grey. In some respects, it was a good year, in others an annus horribilis. But without question it was certainly a year of anniversaries.