Latest issue: European Legislation Vol. 23 No. 87-88/2024
General issues
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):15-33
Abstract ▼
The leading economic powers increasingly use economic interdependence as a strategic tool in power politics. The main economic levers of power as an instrument for achieving geopolitical goals in modern conditions are economic sanctions and trade and technological restrictions imposed on competing countries. The US, China, and the European Union practice “more or less” these economic levers to position themselves more optimally in global geoeconomic relations. Their geoeconomic tactics are supported by extensive research by which these powers make predictions and align their economic interests with the economic interests of other countries. The latest estimates in this sense say that the growth of the economic power of the global economic powers will most likely lead to an accelerated separation of the global economy into two main blocs: American and Chinese. That would lead to a certain crisis that would affect the economic well-being not only of these countries but also the majority of the world. In order to stop this trend, that is, to avoid possible negative effects, coordinated efforts of the three largest economies are necessary: the US, the European Union, and China. That would specifically mean the conventional regulation of the world economy, like the conventional regulation of other significant social issues such as international armed conflicts. In addition, it would mean further promotion of the globalisation process, along with the liberalisation of global trade and foreign investments. This has the potential to curb somewhat the growing trend of geoeconomic coercion. Therefore, economic competition would remain the preferred method for managing the divergent interests of the leading economic powers.
Institutions
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):35-44
Abstract ▼
In the national parliamentary elections in France, held under the two-round majority electoral system, the presidential coalition lost its relative majority. It was clear that there were three opposing blocs in the Assembly, that no one had an absolute majority to be able to form the government independently, and that unprincipled coalitions, characteristic for parliamentary regimes otherwise contrary to the spirit of the Gaullistic Fifth Republic, were needed to get out of the political crisis. In France, there was a debate about the overcoming of the constitutional concept of the Gaullistic Fifth Republic. Since its founding in 1958, the Fifth Republic has been a humanistic experiment. Its founder, General Charles De Gaulle, started from the assumption that only nations are eternal and, therefore, a strong and independent state of the French people should be created, which would have exceptional ambitions in terms of economic development, social and health care, defence, education, science, and art.
Legislation
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):45-61
Abstract ▼
The European Commission published the Communication on Better Regulation on April 29, 2021, to improve the legislative process and create policies at the European Union (EU) level. With this announcement, it tried to improve the previously formulated Agenda for Better Regulation by aligning it as much as possible with the sustainable development goals and green and digital transition and including it more efficiently in strategic planning. Also, the communication seeks to improve the transparency, efficiency, and coherence of the better regulation system. Following a brief historical overview, the study demonstrates the degree to which the expectations have been met and the areas in which the system of better regulation still needs to be improved.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):62-74
Abstract ▼
At the European Union (EU) level, there are only a small number of rules related to the property relations of spouses, primarily in the area of the contractual property regime. The marriage contract is seen as a factor of convergence and the potential harmonisation of family law in the legislation of the member states because harmonisation is easier to imagine in the area of the contractual than in the legal property regime. In the legal literature, there is no general agreement on the need for convergence of the family law systems, which is conditioned by the nature of family law as a branch of law greatly influenced by the culture and traditions of a particular nation. For these reasons, family law issues are still not directly regulated by European legislation. Given that our country is in EU accession negotiations and the marriage contract is a legal institution regulated in the domestic family legislation, the paper will analyse different points of view on the marriage contract as an element in this family law matter, which is necessary and useful. The author conducted research using dogmatic legal, comparative legal, and historical legal methods. In conclusion, she confirms the initial hypothesis, according to which there are currently no suitable conditions for the unification of the marriage contract as a formal source of substantive law in the EU.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):75-98
Abstract ▼
The modern, more liberal conception of the family, with the progress of reproductive technologies in practice, leads to negative consequences for the unhindered enjoyment of parental rights. Within the European Union (EU), the identity, property, educational, and other rights of children often come under attack due to differences in the legal systems of the member states regarding the grounds for determining parentage. Striving to reduce the negative consequences of the various material rules of the member states in the area of parenting while being guided by the primary interest of protecting the rights of the child, the European Commission submitted at the end of 2022 the Proposal for a Regulation on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of public documents in matters of parenting and the establishment of the European Certificate of Parenthood. With the proposed instrument, the Commission sought to strengthen the judicial cooperation of member states in civil matters, which is a prerequisite for achieving legal security and protecting children from discrimination based on origin. The unanimity of the member states in the Council will be necessary for the final adoption of this act. Voices of rebellion from the individual member states, frightened by the EU\'s excessive encroachment into the sensitive area of family law, cast doubt on the ultimate success of the initiative. Nevertheless, despite the structural, content, and territorial limitations of the newly proposed act, its broader social and political significance is unquestionable. The Commission\'s initiative, regardless of its final legal fate, should be an important model for a more decisive response by states in matters of parenthood with crossborder implications.
Economy, competition, entrepreneurship
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):99-154
Abstract ▼
Access to critical raw materials is of key importance for the European Union’s (EU) economy, the functioning of its internal market, and achieving the goals of the green and digital transition. The risk of disruptions in the supply of these raw materials is constantly growing due to growing geopolitical tensions and competition in the field of resources. Therefore, if the issue of increased demand is not solved optimally, the increased demand for critical raw materials could have negative consequences for the environment and society. Considering the complexity and transnational nature of value chains of critical raw materials, uncoordinated national measures to ensure a safe and sustainable supply of critical raw materials contain the risk of disrupting the functioning of the internal market. In order to overcome these situations and protect the functioning of the EU internal market, on April 11, 2024, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation 2024/1252 on the establishment of a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, which created the prerequisites for protection of the economic resilience of the EU and its strategic autonomy.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):155-167
Abstract ▼
The process of post-socialist market transformation in Serbia began later than in other European countries. In the second stage of the transition after October 2000, Serbia had to solve the problems that other countries in transition solved during the first transition stage from 1989 to 1994. Considering the different meanings of the term “transition”, the authors provide coherent explanations of its contradictions arising from theoretical interpretations of this process. In this regard, the authors point to possible ways of solving transitional problems in Serbia, not only through the creation of more efficient market mechanisms but also through the establishment of a society that should base its existence on European principles and values. These principles and values should be harmonised not only from the legal but also from the economic, ethical, and social aspects. According to the author, European principles and values should be incorporated into the basic patterns of economic reforms implemented in Serbia and, hence, into their economic results. Consequently, the authors believe it would be rational to explain the necessity of directing the economic transition of Serbia in the direction of accession to the European Union through the improvement of certain economic areas such as agriculture, tourism, hotel industry, etc.
Finances
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):169-187
Abstract ▼
The Solvency II Directive regulates the performance of insurance and reinsurance activities, supervises the work of insurance companies and reinsurance companies, and addresses other issues in the field of insurance. The implementation of the Directive was postponed several times, and it finally became effective in the territory of the European Union (EU) in 2016. The Solvency II Directive covers insurance and reinsurance. It defines reinsurance as an activity consisting of risks ceded by insurance companies, whether they are from EU member states or third countries. It defines reinsurance as one of the ways of mitigating risk and preserving the stability of insurance companies and the insurance market. Reinsurance is viewed through capital solvency and the minimum required capital, the calculation of which depends on the accepted calculation method. According to the Solvency II Directive, the insurer is obliged to reinsure the surplus it cannot cover with its own funds for each insurance contract. In the following paper, the author pays special attention to the impact of the Directive on the insurance market in the Republic of Serbia, as well as to the legislative solutions on reinsurance present in domestic legislation.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):188-200
Abstract ▼
The Directives of the European Union (EU) prescribe to which persons and to what extent their provisions are applied. However, in 2021, the Court of Justice of the EU passed a judgement which extended the scope of the Directive on the common system of value added tax in the case of the application of joint and several tax obligations as an anti-evasion measure to persons who are not liable to pay VAT, which is not in accordance with the provisions of the said Directive. As a reason for making such a decision, the Court cited the need to prevent tax evasion and protect fiscal interests, referring to Article 273 of the Directive on the Common Value Added Tax System. The goal of this research is to analyse the compliance of the aforementioned judgement with the basic characteristics of VAT at the EU level and its impact on future cases in the context of legal security and certainty. The authors use legal-dogmatic and content analysis methods in this research with special reference to the analysis of judgements of the EU Court of Justice.
Agriculture
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):201-213
Abstract ▼
The paper analyses the content of EU Regulation No. 1069/2009 on establishing health rules regarding by-products of animal origin and derived products not intended for human consumption. The author uses the comparative legal method to analyse the relationship between this regulation and the corresponding solutions present in the legislation of the Republic of Serbia. The methods used in this paper are formal-legal: text analysis and comparative method. The paper examines issues related to the obligations of subjects, general animal health restrictions, categorisation of by-products of animal origin, restrictions on the use of these products, and others. At the end of the text, the author concludes that our country only sporadically regulates the matter in question, and apart from one rulebook, Serbia has not passed any general legal act regulating the matter of byproducts of animal origin and by-products not intended for human use. Hence, we need to harmonise the domestic legislative framework with European Union law, which is one of our country’s obligations within the European integration process.
Security policy
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):215-226
Abstract ▼
The agreement on cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and Eurojust (EUROJUST) represents an attempt to legally form a joint body of judicial cooperation at the level of the European Union (EU) member states. This activity is necessary because criminality has a transnational character in a certain way. The joint action of criminals should be opposed by the joint action of all those who fight against them. Only then can we expect long-term results in the field of crime suppression. In this process, the judiciary has a very important role. In the paper, the author devotes special attention to the analysis of the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and Eurojust through the prism of cooperation between the EU member states in the field of criminal justice and third countries to suppress various forms of crime. Given that it is one of the pillars on which the EU rests, the importance of studying this topic is quite obvious.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):227-248
Abstract ▼
Planning and undertaking criminal-operational measures and actions to suppress property crimes presupposes timely knowledge of the preparation or execution of crimes. As one of the sources of knowledge, operatives in our country and the European Union (EU) member states still use traditional methods of gathering information from associates and informants from the criminal environment. With modern systems of physical and technical security and video surveillance, as well as the accelerated development of the private security sector, whose operation is normatively regulated in our country on the model of the EU, operatives dealing with the detection of property crimes can find out more quickly about their perpetrators, which affects their more efficient processing. Since detecting perpetrators and proving property crimes requires a certain ability and knowledge, competent state authorities must invest more efforts to create the conditions for specialisation and training of operational workers. In this sense, it is also necessary for operatives to become familiar with prevention measures widely used in the EU countries, such as increased surveillance, checking, observation, ambushing, tracking, blocking, and others. Also, their specific education is needed in terms of familiarisation with the domestic legislative framework and the legal acquis of the EU in this area, which would certainly have positive effects in more efficient conduct of criminal proceedings and faster prosecution of perpetrators of criminal acts.
Energy
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):249-265
Abstract ▼
Energy security is a concept of essential importance for the overall stability of any country, where energy is one of the main drivers of sustainable development. It is a strategic project of cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the Southeast European region in the field of energy, promoted at the beginning of this century. The project defines the components of the process aimed at stability in the supply and functioning of the energy market. The Energy Union is a compatible plan of the European Commission, providing optimal conditions for its members. The paper discusses the implications of these concepts on the geosecurity position and perspectives of the countries of the region. The war in Ukraine implied huge existential controversies in the international community. Energy security is drastically threatened by it, which produces numerous retrograde repercussions in all spheres of public life.
Ecology
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):267-287
Abstract ▼
Ship waste consists of discarded materials and anything decommissioned, whether generated on the vessel or from the cargo, regardless of size and volume. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) contains general prohibitions against blocking the sea from ships but also regulates the conditions under which certain types of waste can be discharged into the marine environment and requires the contracting parties to provide adequate reception facilities for waste in ports. The European Union (EU) continued implementing parts of the MARPOL Convention through Directive 2000/59/EC. Despite these regulatory developments, waste discharges into seas and rivers still cause significant environmental, social, and economic problems. Adequate port reception facilities are not always available, enforcement is often insufficient, and there is a lack of incentives for delivering waste to land. The new Directive EU/2019/883 is aimed at protecting the water environment from the negative effects of waste discharge from ships using ports located in the EU while ensuring the smooth development of water traffic, improving the availability and use of adequate port reception facilities, and delivering waste to those facilities. The paper aims to present the obligations of the member states in this area and the conditions that shipping companies should meet to reduce sea and river pollution by using port facilities. The research shows that the Republic of Serbia, with its eight international ports, has rapidly joined European water traffic. Therefore, in addition to a dedication to carrying out this duty, the port infrastructure needs to be built and modernised, particularly in terms of waste reception and treatment facilities.
Technology and media
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):289-307
Abstract ▼
The paper presents the main elements of the Regulation establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market and amending Directive 2010/13 (European Media Freedom Act). The Regulation aims to protect media freedom, media pluralism, and editorial independence in the European Union (EU). The European Media Freedom Act establishes a common framework for media services in the EU\'s internal market. It also introduces measures aimed at protecting journalists and media service providers from political interference while facilitating work across internal EU borders. The new rules guarantee the right of citizens to access free and diverse information and define the responsibility of the member states in terms of ensuring the appropriate conditions and framework for their protection.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):308-328
Abstract ▼
Although there are a large number of initiatives, both at the level of national jurisdictions and the global level (proposals on international agreements or the establishment of an international monitoring body), so far, only the European Union (EU) has made any serious attempt to protect citizens from the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence systems. The European Act on Artificial Intelligence entered into force on August 1, 2024. In the discussions about its content, one of the main criticisms was directed at the lack of individual remedies. In the meantime, the European Commission drafted the Directive on Liability for Artificial Intelligence, whose provisions are the subject of this paper. The proposal of the Directive is considered in its entirety in order to indicate the importance of the matter in question and provide a basis for further research. It follows from the analysis that if the current text of the Proposal for the Directive is not amended, the injured party could face obstacles in proving the existence of a cause-and-effect relationship in the damage caused, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence systems that are not classified as high-risk by the Act on Artificial Intelligence. The rules on non-contractual civil liability in connection with artificial intelligence remain in the positions of subjective liability (responsibility based on fault) to facilitate the position of injured persons. Such an approach was also confirmed through the phased implementation process of the Proposal for the Directive because it was only in the second phase that the possibility to move from subjective to objective responsibility for damage was projected.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):329-347
Abstract ▼
Contemporary globalisation trends have produced radical changes with numerous contradictions in all spheres of public life in the European Union. The processes that have lasted for five decades have completely changed the former image of the world, especially in politics, economy, and the sphere of communications. There is a great expansion of information and communication technologies that have incorporated new paradigms of business and entrepreneurial culture. The economy is directly connected to European Union foreign policy, moving the boundaries from the industrial to the digital and virtual markets. This is where the concept of digital diplomacy was born, which implies the implementation of media content, postmodern technologies, and social network platforms in realising the projected goals of European integration. The importance of information and communication technologies and media in the European Union is such that technologies and media are increasingly essential tools in the realisation of business strategies by applying methods of adequately reducing the spatial and temporal dimensions of events.
Human rights
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):349-371
Abstract ▼
The paper examines gender-based violence in the context of the right to asylum through the legislation and case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, national courts of member states, and competent authorities in the Republic of Serbia. The Convention on the Status of Refugees from 1951, as a fundamental act of refugee law, does not define gender as one of the grounds of persecution based on which refugee status can be granted. Also, the relevant Directive 2011/95/EU takes over the definitions of refugees from the Convention even though it stipulates that aspects related to gender, including gender identity, are taken into account when deciding on the right to asylum. In this regard, the paper will present two current decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which bring important innovations in this area and establish standards for deciding on the right to asylum in relation to women who are victims of violence. After analysing these decisions, it is concluded that women victims of violence can be characterised as members of a special social group, who on that basis claim the right to asylum. Also, the analysis of legislation and practice in the Republic of Serbia showed that the legislative framework is adequate and prescribes gender as one of the grounds of persecution for the approval of refugee status; however, the practice of competent authorities in the Republic of Serbia showed deficiencies in establishing clear decision-making standards and examining the circumstances in the country of origin as well as the excessive burden of proof in relation to asylum applicants who need to prove that they are indeed victims of genderbased violence.
Јudicial practice
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):373-397
Abstract ▼
Climate change represents one of the most complex global challenges of our time, presenting a pressing concern for the international community. The negative impacts of climate change on the human rights of both current and future generations have become increasingly evident and must not be ignored. This paper aims to highlight the particular significance of human rights in addressing climate change and to explore the capacity of human rights protection mechanisms to address these climate-related challenges. Human rights impose obligations on states within the context of climate change that must be adhered to, shaping regulations and policies and standardising practices. The principle of common but differentiated responsibility allows for a differentiation in states\' obligations and responsibilities. In this regard, the paper reflects on the legal system of the Republic of Serbia, which is relevant for the protection of human rights from the impacts of climate change.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):398-413
Abstract ▼
The paper briefly analyses the attitude of the European Court of Human Rights towards the institutions of same-sex marriage and registered partnerships. Although same-sex marriage has been legally accepted in a relatively small number of countries in the last few decades, there is a visible trend towards its legal recognition, especially in the countries of the European Union (EU). The European Convention on Human Rights (especially its provisions from Articles 8, 12, and 14) played a key role in advancing the rights and recognition of same-sex marriages in Europe. Legal interpretations of private and family life, as well as non-discrimination and recognition of relationships between same-sex partners, have evolved through the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. The author of the paper investigates the evolution of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights through the analysis of the most important cases on same-sex marriage.
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):414-440
Abstract ▼
Almost 50 years have passed since the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down its judgement in Golder v. United Kingdom. The verdict, in this case, is considered one of the turning points in the practice of the European Court. The subject of the dispute was a right that was not expressly regulated by Article 6, Paragraph 1 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms (European Convention, ECHR), so the methods of interpreting the ECHR were extensively engaged in the explanation of the judgment. However, starting with this judgement, the European Court expanded the list of procedural guarantees not expressly covered by the right to a fair trial, subsuming them under the right of access to court. The Constitution of Serbia does not regulate the right to access the court, and judicial practice also wanders in the final determination of the concept of the right to access the court. Despite this deficiency, it essentially provides adequate protection to persons who have violated this right. Considering the development of practice since the Golder case, the author believes that the right to access the court should be interpreted in a narrower and broader sense, taking into account that limitations and violations of this right can come from substantive and procedural law and can result in the arbitrariness of the work of domestic judges, which is why the relevant legislative provisions of the domestic law guaranteeing the right of access to the court should take into account all the mentioned aspects.
Book reviews
Natural resources: between the law and conflicts
Aleksandra Kastratović
European Legislation, 2024 23(87-88):441-446