European Convention on Human Rights

The TotalEnergies climate case, whose merits were partially decided by the Paris Judicial Court in June, illustrates how associations may be the gateway through which rights-based climate cases survive. In that case, local governments and NGOs originally brought claims together against the French oil giant. They argued that TotalEnergies’ statutorily-required due diligence plan was incomplete because it…

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish Autonomous Cities located on the northern coast of Africa and bordering Morocco. They occupy a singular position within the European legal order. They simultaneously constitute the external borders of Spain, the European Union, and the Schengen Area, making them the only land frontiers between Europe and Africa. For decades, these borders have been…

In mid-June 2026, the European Parliament gave its final approval to the amendments to the European Union’s policy on the return of third-country nationals staying irregularly on Union territory. With 418 votes in favour, 218 against, and 30 abstentions, the new Return Regulation, which replaces Directive 2008/115/EC, formally aims to “speed up…

In May 2025, the infamous “letter of the nine” was published. In it, the governments of nine European states laid out their vision of various anti-migrant policies and called for “a new and open minded [sic.] conversation about the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights”. The case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR),…