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European Journal of Law Reform

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Issue 4, 2012 Expand all abstracts
Article

Access to Higher Education in the EU

Evolving Case Law of the CJEU

Keywords EU common market, European higher educational area, CJEU case-law on education, free movement of students, educational strategies
Authors Kari Käsper and Tanel Kerikmäe
AbstractAuthor's information

    A prerequisite for a competitive market can be achieved better through clear legal policy in European higher education. There is a time for the EU to intervene more into the area to eliminate state protectionism. The reasoning in CJEU case law gives a guidance for corrigendum of further legal basis. The students of another Member State should not deserve different treatment. EU role in the field of education should be significant to avoid state-based bureaucracy. The jurisprudence of CJEU creates a basis for the further development of the regulation, which leads to foundation for well-functioning internal market in the global world.


Kari Käsper
K. Käsper, M.A (law [Tallinn University of Technology 2012] and Law studies [International University Audentes, eq. with master of law 2005]) is a lecturer of EU law at Tallinn Law School, Tallinn University of Technology.

Tanel Kerikmäe
Tanel Kerikmäe (Ph.D [Tallinn University, Political Science and State Governance 2009], LL.Lic [Helsinki University, Law 2006], LL.M [Helsinki University, Law 1994] and Law studies [Tartu University, eq. with master of law 1992]) is a professor and head of the Jean Monnet Chair of European Law, Tallinn Law School, Tallinn University of Technology. The current article is based on K. Käsper’s thesis (supervised by Prof. Kerikmäe), defended in 2012.
Article

What Virtues and Formalities Can Do for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Rule of Law in China?

仁 礼 誠 人, 人 必 治 法, 法 修 其 德, 德 治 其 國

Keywords Chinese rule of law, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, Confucianism, formative free speech
Authors Jin Kong
AbstractAuthor's information

    This article explores sustainability problems in China and foreign interests on the ‘rule of law’ problems there. The article undertakes an organic process improvement method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Control – ‘DMAC’) in hope to improve the west’s expectations of China and China’s own becoming of a rule of law nation. Corruption and environmental problems are of particular interest; China’s legal and political reform histories serve as our starting point; synergies between Confucian mercantile philosophy and modern corporate social responsibility principles are the undertones. The article will first Define the scope of China’s environmental, social, and economic problems; it will Measure the effects of these problems by observing the ontological and metaphysical uniqueness of the Chinese notion of ‘rule of law’ from a historical perspective; the Analysis will involve identifying synergies between Confucianism and Corporate Social Responsibility (hereinafter ‘CSR’); from these observations, this article will submit to Controling steps. Consequently, this article recognizes the need for ‘humanity’ and ‘formality’, in the Chinese sense, to aid one’s becoming of a law-biding person in China. The Chinese people will Control the laws that matter to them; those laws will evolve to cure the virtues of the people they are to govern.


Jin Kong
Jin Kong is a JD Candidate at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Jin also writes on the topic of sustainability at his blog, The Green Elephant (dot) US – <www.thegreenelephant.us>. The Chinese subtitle is loosely translated as follows: ‘If there is humanity and formality to aid one’s becoming a law-abiding person in China, they wil control the laws that matter to them; those laws will surely cure the virtues of its people and it is from those virtues a nation can govern.’
Article

Gender Equality Laws in the Post Socialist States of Central and Eastern Europe

Mainstream Fixture or Fizzer?

Keywords gender equality laws, enforcement mechanisms, rule of law, post-socialist states, European Union
Authors Christine Forster and Vedna Jivan
AbstractAuthor's information

    In Central and Eastern European countries, the enactment of gender equality laws (GELs), defined as stand-alone national legislation that provide an overarching legislative response to gender discrimination as distinct from the traditional approach of incorporating gender equality provisions into existing legislation or constitutions, has been a marked regional trend since the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, rather than being driven by domestic movements for change, GELs seem primarily to have emerged due to pressure from development agencies, potential trading partners and donor organisations which predicate their assistance and business on the establishment of the ‘rule of law’ and of particular relevance in the region the desire to join the European Union (EU), which requires potential members to introduce gender equality legislation as part of the communtaire aquis. Despite the widespread enactment of GELs in the region, research suggests that the implementation of GELs has been slow, inefficient and in some cases non-existent. Reasons posited for this include a lack of judicial familiarity with new concepts contained in the legislation, the use of legislation taken from models in existing member states, lack of information disseminated about the new laws to relevant parties, weak political support and capacity weakness in states that are resource stretched. This article considers a further reason – the weakness of the enforcement and implementation mechanisms in the laws themselves and argues that despite the placement of expansive positive duties on a range of public and private actors in many of the GELs, the implementation and enforcement mechanisms of the fifteen GELs considered are weak. Consequently, despite their remarkable scope the duties created under the GELs are largely symbolic and will continue to be so unless, such legislation is amended to include mechanisms to enable the realization of those duties in practice.


Christine Forster
Christine Forster is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Vedna Jivan
Vedna Jivan is Senior Lecturer, UTS Faculty of Law, Australia.
Article

Structuring the Judiciary to Conduct Constitutional Review in the Netherlands

A Comparative and European Perspective

Keywords centralized/decentralized constitutional review, Netherlands constitutional law, comparative law
Authors Gerhard van der Schyff
AbstractAuthor's information

    Whether a legal system decides to centralize or decentralize constitutional review by the judiciary is dependent on various factors. This article critically considers a host of these factors, ranging from the separation of powers to the desire to bring about far-reaching constitutional change and the possible impact of membership of the European Union, in studying whether in the Netherlands constitutional review should be centralized or decentralized upon its possible introduction. The conclusion is reached that although decentralization can be opted for under the current circumstances, a persuasive case for centralization can also be made and might even become stronger and inevitable depending on the course of future constitutional reform.


Gerhard van der Schyff
Gerhard van der Schyff is Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law at Tilburg Law School, The Netherlands.
Article

Agreements for the Continuance of the Personal Company Despite the Death of the Partner and the Legal Rights of the Successor in Greek Company Law

Keywords transfer participation/share, hereditary succession, accountability of heir, partnership, limited partnership
Authors Panagiotis Kon. Panagiotou
AbstractAuthor's information

    The purpose of this paper is the question of the validity of agreements to continue the partnership by the heirs of the deceased partner, the transfer of shareholding/shares in partnerships due to succession, accountability of heirs for the debts of the company, and the legal position of the minor heir’s liability against corporate lenders. The study focuses on addressing these issues, which are due to the lack of full regulation and the conflict created in the provisions of inheritance and partnership law in Greek Law.


Panagiotis Kon. Panagiotou
Panagiotis Kon. Panagiotou is Attorney at Law of the Supreme Court of Athens and Assistant Professor of Business Law at the Higher Technical Institute of Larissa – Greece (ATEI-LARISSA).
Article

Occurrence of Disruptive Behaviour in Dutch Civil Procedures

An Empirical Study

Keywords civil procedure, case management, procedural justice, procedural sanctions, procedural rules
Authors Martin Gramatikov and Stéphanie van Gulijk
AbstractAuthor's information

    In 2002, the civil procedure in the Netherlands was reformed. A fairly simple system of positive and negative stimuli was set up in order to ensure that the civil process develops in an efficient and timely manner. In this article, we explore the prevalence of process-disturbing behaviour as well as the response of the judges to such behaviour. Ninety eight civil cases were observed. We also conducted interviews with judges, lawyers and parties involved in these cases. The main finding is that in almost all cases there is at least one process-disturbing behaviour. On average there are 3.4 instances of such behaviour per case. Most often the disturbing behaviour is part of the categories communication problems. As it concerns the reaction of the judges, we see patterns of various strategies. Judges are not immediately responding actively to disturbing behaviour. However, when a certain threshold has been reached, the judges tend to take active steps and apply the tools they have. Most often, judges use different sorts of communication interventions. Procedural instruments for counteracting disturbing behaviour are used vey rarely. Our interpretation is that judges in the Netherlands are concerned about process efficiency but are also aware of the procedural justice and particularly interpersonal justice aspects of the process. We recommend that initial and ongoing legal education and training pays more attention on the communication and interpersonal skills and abilities involved in dispute resolution.


Martin Gramatikov
Martin Grammatikov is senior researcher at Tilburg University, Private Law department, and Head of Measurement and Evaluation at the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law.

Stéphanie van Gulijk
Stéphanie van Gulijk is senior researcher and lecturer at Tilburg University, Private Law department, and Legal counsel at Poelmann van den Broek Laywers. Both authors cooperated in the research project that is central in this paper: M. Barendrecht, S. van Gulijk, M. Gramatikov, P. Sluijter, De goede procesorde in beeld. Over gedrag van procespartijen en de regiefunctie van de rechter, in Research Memoranda Raad voor de rechtspraak, nummer 1-2011, jaargang 7.

Talia Einhorn
Professor of Law at Ariel University Center and Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Management.

Jacqueline Gray
PhD candidate, UCERF, Utrecht Universiteit.