On 4th March 1861, President Lincoln in his inaugural speech declared that ‘[p]erpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments.’ Just a month before the start of the American civil war, he declared secession as ‘legally void’ given that ‘no government proper ever had a provision in
On Secessions, Constitutions and EU law
Blog Authors
Latest from On Secessions, Constitutions and EU law
New Publication: Mind the Gap Between Federalism and Secession: The Relationship Between Two (In)compatible Concepts
On 4th March 1861, President Lincoln in his inaugural speech declared that ‘[p]erpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments.’ Just a month before the start of the American civil war, he declared secession as ‘legally void’ given that ‘no government proper ever had a provision in…
Secession in the EU multi-level constitutional order
Forty-eight hours before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the then Spanish Secretary of State for the EU, Méndez de Vigo, appeared on the BBC. During his interview, he rejected the claims of the then Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, according to which an independent Scotland could negotiate membership ‘from within’ the EU. Instead, he argued…
Alexis Tsipras, Nanni Moretti and the future of the Greek Left
A short break from EU law to discuss Greek politics
Caro Diario (1993)In the opening scene of his film Caro Diario, Nanni Moretti goes for a ride with his Vespa on the outskirts of Rome. At some point, he stops at a traffic light and he informs the unsuspecting driver of a red cabriolet…
Scottish Indyref 2: Towards Another Constitutional Crisis
On Tuesday 28 June, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed the Scottish Parliament about her plans for a second independence referendum. According to the proposed Bill, the referendum will take place on 19 October 2023. The announcement reopened the age-old debate about the ‘festering issue’. Whether Holyrood does possess the power to organise such referendum without the…
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill: How did we end up here?
Banksy – Archway salvaged from Heathrow Airport
The EU is taking legal action against the UK in response to the government’s plan to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol after the UK government released a bill proposing to unilaterally amend the legal mechanism that ensures smooth trade of goods between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Europe.…
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: The Current Stalemate
The European Union has warned that it will “respond with all measures at its disposal” if the UK goes ahead with a plan to unilaterally rewrite the most contentious part of their Brexit agreement, sparking fear of a trade war. How did the two sides once again end up at loggerheads and what is the…
2 Articles on the Cyprus issue negotiations.
Hi everyone,Long time, no see. As I am sure you know, it has been a challenging and very busy period for everybody including myself. I have not updated the blog for some time as I had concentrated on other things. Anyway, hopefully, now I will be able to post more often. In this huge post,…
The Right of Self-Determination in the EU constitutional order.
Last year, I was lucky enough to spend my research leave in the Institut d’Estudis de l’Autogovern, Barcelona. There, I worked on my project ‘The Right of Self-Determination in the EU constitutional order.‘ Here is a video presentation I did before Christmas where I present the preliminary findings of the project. Enjoy!
Competing claims and narratives in Eastern Mediterranean
A view of the town of Kastellorizo. Turkey can be seen in the distance. Credit…Eirini Vourloumis for The New York Times
One hot day in the summer of 1847, 19-year-old British soldier William Mills decided to take a dive in the Ionian Sea to cool down. Unfortunately for him, he was attacked and killed by…