16 April 2022
Es geht um die Demokratie
Der Präsident ist im französischen Verfassungssystem der V. Republik von 1958 das zentrale Verfassungsorgan. Doch ob und wie das so bleiben wird, ist in diesem Jahr aber noch offen. Nach der Parlamentswahl, die im Juni auf die Präsidentschaftswahl folgen wird, könnte der Reformbedarf des Wahl- und des politischen Systems unabweisbar werden. Und zwar unabhängig davon, ob Macron oder Le Pen gewinnt. Continue reading >>
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28 March 2022
How Emmanuel Macron’s Quest for Efficiency Undermines French Democracy
Emmanuel Macron presented his program for the next presidential election on Thursday, March 17. He plans to relaunch his major reform of the institutions to make them work more efficiently and reaffirmed his desire to have a “strong executive power”, that is, a President who is not encumbered by too many counterweights. This concern for efficiency is a clear sign of impatience with the democratic process. By letting the executive power decide alone, the whole balance of powers could be affected. Continue reading >>20 January 2022
What is Low isn’t Free
Emmanuel Macron’s proposition to raise university tuition fees in France was met with much criticism, including that it would be unconstitutional. Yet, French case law is not very clear on this point. A recent decision of the highest administrative court, the Conseil d’Etat, opens a path for the government to dramatically increase tuition fees. That decision effectively amounted to overturning a landmark preliminary ruling of the French constitutional court, the Conseil Constitutionnel. Continue reading >>
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23 December 2020
Can (Republican) Values be Defined by Law?
On 9 December 2020, the French government presented an important legislative proposal that seeks to reaffirm « republican principles ». The project is worth being examined in some detail, as it encapsulates many of the recurring tensions in the French legal and political debate over pluralism and vivre ensemble. This is a cause for concern not only because of the ways in which it recasts a number of rights and freedoms, but also because of the strongly axiological program it conveys – one that may further reinforce ongoing tendencies to interpret a number of republican values in manners that alienate minorities religious and otherwise. Continue reading >>
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28 November 2020
The Rise of a Dissuasive Democracy in France
On November 24, 2020 the French National Assembly adopted the Global Security Act by a wide margin. The bill entrenches the cooperation between public and private security forces, broadly regulates the use of surveillance drones, and strengthens the legal protection offered to security officers identified on videos that circulate on social media. The GSA is a perfect illustration of what I call a dissuasive democracy, meaning a regime where civil liberties are facially guaranteed by the constitution, but where laws and regulations are designed to dissuade individuals from exercising their civil liberties. Continue reading >>09 September 2020
Corona Constitutional #48: La République in Nöten
150 Jahre wird die französische Republik alt in diesen Tagen. Eine Republik, wechselnde Verfassungen: Die aktuelle gilt seit 1958, aber in Frankreich wächst immer mehr das Gefühl, dass es so nicht weitergehen kann. Continue reading >>
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12 December 2018
Macrons Revolte
Der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron hat sich den teils gewalttätigen Protesten der Gilets jaunes, der Gelbwesten, gebeugt und am Montagabend ein Paket sozialer Umverteilungsmaßnahmen im Umfang von etwa 10 Mrd. Euro angekündigt. Ob das ausreicht, um den Frieden in der französischen Gesellschaft wieder herzustellen, ist fraglich. Zu vielfältig sind die Ursachen für den Aufstand - ökonomisch, politisch und institutionell. Continue reading >>08 June 2018
New Paradigms for the European Parliament
Without strong leadership Europe’s right-wing movements will remain a disparate band at next year’s European Parliament elections. There is one man who knows this: Viktor Orbán. The real battle next year will not be centred on Potemkin-like Spitzenkandidaten, but will polarise around Emmanuel Macron and Viktor Orbán. Continue reading >>27 September 2017