Mariolina Eliantonio, Associate Professor in European Administrative Law, has been awarded a Jean Monnet Network grant (for the total value of 300,000 Euro) together with five other leading academics in the field of European law to set up a research network on the use of EU soft law by national administrations and courts. The objectives of the Soft Law Research Network (‘SoLaR’) are threefold. First, it brings together scholars researching soft law in order to determine whether and how soft law is used by national administrations when implementing EU policies and by national courts when ruling in cases falling within the scope of application of EU law. Second, SoLaR aims at stimulating a debate between academics and practitioners regarding the national role of soft law. Third, SoLaR formulates policy guidance intended to support national actors.

An empirical, comparative law analysis, consisting of documentary case law research and interviews with judges and civil servants, will be carried out with respect to a representative selection of legal systems (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the UK) and of policy areas (environmental law, social policy, competition and State aid law, and financial regulation).

The academic outputs of SoLaR will be a series of articles to be published in a peer-reviewed Working Paper Series to be set up in an open-access website administered by the Network, and a book edited by the Academic Coordinators, summarising and systematising the results of SoLaR, next to the creation of a website, a blog, and a database of national courts’ rulings.

SoLar is a cooperation of Helsinki University, Maastricht University, Leipzig University, King’s College London, Aix-Marseille University and the Graduate School of Governance and European Studies of Kranj.

On 21 June, CERiM Research Coordinator Vigijlenca Abazi presented on the issue of balancing transparency and confidentiality at the public hearing on transparency and free access to information and documents held by the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament.

The hearing included the participation of academics, representatives from civil society and from the European institutions. The full recording of event is available online: http://bit.ly/28P3Gm6

CERiM research coordinator, Johan Adriaensen, has just published his monograph “National Administrations in EU trade policy: maintaining the capacity to control” with Palgrave Macmillan. His book studies the relation between administrative capacity and a member state’s control over the European Commission during trade negotiations. Exploratory fieldwork in Belgium, Poland, Estonia and Spain is combined with survey research to understand how national trade administrations function and how this affects their behaviour in the Council.

On May 26th, CERiM had the pleasure of welcoming Taja Vovk van Gaal, who is heading the team that prepares the exhibitions and the structure of the House of European History (HEH). She came to share her experience on the process of creating the museum, which is due to open in the Eastman building in Brussels on November 19th 2016 and will be free of entrance fee. The idea for a house of European History was officially launched by Professor Pöttering and Taja Vovk van Gaal joined the project in 2010 as the leader of the team of curators.

Although there are many national history museums that cover fragments of European integration, a museum truly dedicated to the history of European integration, from the perspectives of Western, Central and Eastern European countries, is unique. As the speaker explained, this museum will not look into national histories of EU member states but rather seeks to “distil the processes and events in EU history that fuelled integration.” As the concept “Europe” in itself already is controversial, the first part of the museum will be dedicated to defining Europe, not only geographically, but also culturally, politically and historically.

The museum seeks to open a discussion on choices of what European history might be, which, according to Vovk van Gaal, is of high importance today: “It will help us find what we, Europeans, share, but also what divides us.” To the question why Europeans need this museum at this time more than ever, she replied by arguing that “we see quite similar factors today as those that led to the problems in Yugoslavia in the past.” Looking back at history will remind Europeans that Europe has not always been as peaceful as it is today, and this might help prevent future violence.

As is tradition for Maastricht Monnet lectures, there was time for attendees – students and UM staff – to engage with the speaker in a stimulating discussion. One of the questions concerned the lack of involvement of citizens in the process of creating the museum. While Vovk van Gaal agreed with this critique and stated that it would be good to have more input from citizens in the process, she recognised the difficulty of moving forward and finding a way of integrating the myriad of voices and interests. Moreover, the process of decision-making had already been set by the European Parliament when she joined the project.

All in all, the evening presented a great opportunity for an interesting dialogue between the expert and the attendees and left everyone curious and excited to visit the new museum

In three recent publications, CERiM research coordinator Vigjilenca Abazi, Assistant professor of European Law, examines issues of public trust regarding TTIP negotiations (published with European Journal of Risk Regulation), closed parliamentary oversight and access to official secrets (published with Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law) and the clash between whistleblower protection and trade secrets (published with European Papers).

The publications may be found here: 

How Confidential Negotiations of the TTIP Affect Public Trust 
http://ejrr.lexxion.eu/article/EJRR/2016/2/6

European Parliamentary Oversight Behind Closed Doors
http://joomla.cjicl.org.uk/journal/article/1533

Trade Secrets and Whistleblower Protection in the European Union​
http://www.europeanpapers.eu/en/europeanforum/trade-secrets-and-whistleb…

Dr. Hylke Dijkstra, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, has recently edited a forum on the EU Global Strategy for the Journal of Contemporary Security Policy with seven articles by senior colleagues on how the strategy came about.

The forum can be accessed through the following link. In the wake of the adoption of the new strategy in June 2016, Dr. Dijkstra reflected on it in a CERiM blog, which is available via this link.