Upper Chamber of German Parliament Against Investment Arbitration in US/EU TTIP

In today‘s session, the Upper Chamber (Bundesrat) of the German parliament discussed the state of the current negotiations of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)  between the European Union and the United States. In that context, several federal states tabled a resolution, which spoke out against the use of investment arbitration in the treaty. The resolution was adopted. In its relevant part, it reads as follows: Continue reading

Hot Topics in Legal Policy: EU Commissioner for Justice Reding on Class Actions in Europe – 2012 German Jurists Forums (Deutscher Juristentag)

Viviane Reding, the Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, spoke about “Europe, the Law, and the German legal profession: a comment from Luxembourg” at last week’s German Jurists Forum in Munich (see my earlier post on the Forum). The focus of her speech was on the German legal debate on the Euro rescue plans – that’s somewhat off topic in this blog, as important as it is, and we leave it to verfassungsblog.de and others to comment upon. But Viviane Reding devoted a couple of sentences to more mundane issues, such as the plans for group or class actions in the European Union. Here’s what she had to say: Continue reading

“Class Actions in Europe – Status Quo and Outlook”; Berlin Conference on May 7/8, 2012

Berlin’s Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance and Frankfurt/Oder’s “Frankfurter Institut für das Recht der Europäischen Union” are hosting, on May 7 and 8, 2012, a conference on “Class Actions in the European Union – Status Quo and Outlook” (Die EU-Sammelklage – Status und Perspektiven). They have put together a programme with excellent speakers representing major interest groups and a broad spectrum of lawyers, judges, academics and industry bodies- a very promising set-up. Here’s the link to the conference programme.