Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
@profpech.bsky.social
Professor of Law, Dean of @ucdschooloflaw.bsky.social, Senior Research Fellow at the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, and co-director of @goodlobbyprofs.bsky.social. Usual disclaimers.
Paper now available here democracyinstitute.ceu.edu/articles/lau...
For those of you familiar with the EU's rule of law toolbox, you can go straight to the section offering concrete/multiple examples of timid use, misuse and non-use of the main EU prevention/monitoring & response/enforcement tools
For those of you familiar with the EU's rule of law toolbox, you can go straight to the section offering concrete/multiple examples of timid use, misuse and non-use of the main EU prevention/monitoring & response/enforcement tools
November 24, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Paper now available here democracyinstitute.ceu.edu/articles/lau...
For those of you familiar with the EU's rule of law toolbox, you can go straight to the section offering concrete/multiple examples of timid use, misuse and non-use of the main EU prevention/monitoring & response/enforcement tools
For those of you familiar with the EU's rule of law toolbox, you can go straight to the section offering concrete/multiple examples of timid use, misuse and non-use of the main EU prevention/monitoring & response/enforcement tools
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Why does this get so little coverage? It's the destruction of humanity's minimum rules.
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 24, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Why does this get so little coverage? It's the destruction of humanity's minimum rules.
"Do the US or China ever refrain from enforcing their own laws simply to please us? We should immediately apply our laws. This must be the first expression of European digital sovereignty ... We can’t let ourselves be intimidated"
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 24, 2025 at 7:13 AM
"Do the US or China ever refrain from enforcing their own laws simply to please us? We should immediately apply our laws. This must be the first expression of European digital sovereignty ... We can’t let ourselves be intimidated"
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
not only is trump transforming the united states into a rogue player on accountability (unsurprisingly), but europeans are not fighting back. this is awful and it's not gonna stop. see brazil, too. vindictive & selective - all in the service of impunity.
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
not only is trump transforming the united states into a rogue player on accountability (unsurprisingly), but europeans are not fighting back. this is awful and it's not gonna stop. see brazil, too. vindictive & selective - all in the service of impunity.
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Interestingly, in the EU Council, the government is trying to wash its hands of the draft law on the so called sovereignty protection, claiming that it was not submitted by the government, but was a motion by an individual representative.
Come on! This is standard practice 🫤
Come on! This is standard practice 🫤
Got the formal report on the hearing of Hungary held on 21 Oct 2025 in accordance with Art 7(1) TEU released: www.asktheeu.org/request/repo...
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
Report of Article 7 Hearing of Hungary on 21 October 2025 - a Freedom of Information request to Council of the European Union
As part of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure regarding Hungary, the Council held a formal hearing on 21 October 2025: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/gac/2025/10/21/
- The minutes and/or ...
www.asktheeu.org
November 22, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Interestingly, in the EU Council, the government is trying to wash its hands of the draft law on the so called sovereignty protection, claiming that it was not submitted by the government, but was a motion by an individual representative.
Come on! This is standard practice 🫤
Come on! This is standard practice 🫤
At long last, some enforcement by Commission re Slovakia's backsliding with letter of formal notice sent yesterday for breach of several fundamental principles of EU law, particularly the principles of primacy, autonomy, effectiveness and uniform application of EU law
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
November infringements package: key decisions
Overview by policy area\n\nIn its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission takes legal action against Member States that fail to comply with their obligations under EU law. T...
ec.europa.eu
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
At long last, some enforcement by Commission re Slovakia's backsliding with letter of formal notice sent yesterday for breach of several fundamental principles of EU law, particularly the principles of primacy, autonomy, effectiveness and uniform application of EU law
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Got the formal report on the hearing of Hungary held on 21 Oct 2025 in accordance with Art 7(1) TEU released: www.asktheeu.org/request/repo...
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
Report of Article 7 Hearing of Hungary on 21 October 2025 - a Freedom of Information request to Council of the European Union
As part of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure regarding Hungary, the Council held a formal hearing on 21 October 2025: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/gac/2025/10/21/
- The minutes and/or ...
www.asktheeu.org
November 22, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Got the formal report on the hearing of Hungary held on 21 Oct 2025 in accordance with Art 7(1) TEU released: www.asktheeu.org/request/repo...
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
cc @verfassungsblog.de @eublogo.bsky.social
Latest from Trump's armed masked secret police: "ICE agents then surrounded the judge’s car and demanded everyone to exit the vehicle, threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply."
#BREAKING: A student intern at Rhode Island Superior Court was briefly taken into custody by ICE this afternoon before a judge intervened, 12 News has learned. Story by @jusolyn.bsky.social and @timwhiteri.bsky.social: ⤵️
RI judge intervenes after ICE mistakenly detains Superior Court intern
A teenager was nearly taken into federal immigration custody in Providence Thursday afternoon before a Superior Court judge intervened, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary.
www.wpri.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Latest from Trump's armed masked secret police: "ICE agents then surrounded the judge’s car and demanded everyone to exit the vehicle, threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply."
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Europe remains silent, complicit even, as Trump is going after the International Criminal Court. So what about the rule of law now? @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu?
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 21, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Europe remains silent, complicit even, as Trump is going after the International Criminal Court. So what about the rule of law now? @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu?
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Trump applying his distorted perception of "law" on Dutch soil to European citizens doing their job according to the law. What a disgrace.
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 21, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Trump applying his distorted perception of "law" on Dutch soil to European citizens doing their job according to the law. What a disgrace.
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
November 21, 2025 at 9:58 AM
An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...
Got a new (Working) Paper coming out on Monday on "the use, misuse and non-use of the EU’s #ruleoflaw toolbox". Paper will offer a comprehensive, critical and transversal overview of 10+ years of toolbox development/misuse. Overall picture is bleak with Commission & Council now part of the problem
November 21, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Got a new (Working) Paper coming out on Monday on "the use, misuse and non-use of the EU’s #ruleoflaw toolbox". Paper will offer a comprehensive, critical and transversal overview of 10+ years of toolbox development/misuse. Overall picture is bleak with Commission & Council now part of the problem
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Can the EU enact Omnibus legislation - be it on digital, sustainability, defense or the environment - under EU law?
NEW PAPER examining the legality of this controversial legislative technique, available for free download here
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #Omnibus
NEW PAPER examining the legality of this controversial legislative technique, available for free download here
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #Omnibus
The Legality of Omnibus Legislation Under EU Law:
<div>
A Preliminary Analysis of Omnibus I Simplification Directive of CSRD and CSDD and its Legal Consequences on the EU Legal Order
</div>
This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the legal issues arising from the European Union's use of the Omnibus as the privileged legislative technique to '
papers.ssrn.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Can the EU enact Omnibus legislation - be it on digital, sustainability, defense or the environment - under EU law?
NEW PAPER examining the legality of this controversial legislative technique, available for free download here
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #Omnibus
NEW PAPER examining the legality of this controversial legislative technique, available for free download here
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #Omnibus
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Tyler Cowen saying again that there is no threat to democracy marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevo... because Trump is facing opposition and is sensitive to public opinion, but this is how competitive authoritarianism works. Please consult @dziblatt.bsky.social or @stevelevitsky.bsky.social!
November 21, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Tyler Cowen saying again that there is no threat to democracy marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevo... because Trump is facing opposition and is sensitive to public opinion, but this is how competitive authoritarianism works. Please consult @dziblatt.bsky.social or @stevelevitsky.bsky.social!
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
The party that promised "free speech on campus" has made sure there can be no free speech on campuses.
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
November 21, 2025 at 4:25 AM
The party that promised "free speech on campus" has made sure there can be no free speech on campuses.
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
Imagine being Sotomayor & Jackson reading all these headlines, and thinking back to this exchange
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Imagine being Sotomayor & Jackson reading all these headlines, and thinking back to this exchange
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
That John Roberts was more concerned with nuisance lawsuits against the president than he was with whatever this is will haunt this country for a long time
Trump posts again about Democrats, saying their behavior is “punishable by DEATH!”
November 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
That John Roberts was more concerned with nuisance lawsuits against the president than he was with whatever this is will haunt this country for a long time
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
November 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
Is the 🇺🇸 in "constitutional crisis" territory yet?
At this stage, it may be more accurate to speak of rule of law breakdown in the 🇺🇸
At this stage, it may be more accurate to speak of rule of law breakdown in the 🇺🇸
We've updated our Study.
New stats (jaw-dropping imho):
1. DOJ noncompliance with court orders:
26 cases
2. Courts’ distrust of government information and representations:
Over 60 cases
3. Court findings of arbitrary and capricious government conduct:
68 cases
New stats (jaw-dropping imho):
1. DOJ noncompliance with court orders:
26 cases
2. Courts’ distrust of government information and representations:
Over 60 cases
3. Court findings of arbitrary and capricious government conduct:
68 cases
The “Presumption of Regularity” in Trump Administration Litigation
Comprehensive study of court cases involving Trump administration and the basis for courts no longer giving a "presumption of regularity."
www.justsecurity.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Is the 🇺🇸 in "constitutional crisis" territory yet?
At this stage, it may be more accurate to speak of rule of law breakdown in the 🇺🇸
At this stage, it may be more accurate to speak of rule of law breakdown in the 🇺🇸
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
So Elon Musk's AI engages in Holocaust denial now, and there are still democratic governments with active X accounts.
Calling on the Irish government and state agencies to immediately close their X accounts. Continued use of a fascist agitator's social media site is both incompatible with democratic values and immoral.
November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
So Elon Musk's AI engages in Holocaust denial now, and there are still democratic governments with active X accounts.
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
EU Commission spokesperson on tech. The difficulty here is that the Commission sent X a provisional finding of breach of the Digital Services Act 16 months ago, and has done nothing since. So why take this expression of concern seriously?
Grok’s antisemitic output is appalling.
It goes against Europe’s fundamental rights and values.
The DSA is clear: hate speech has no place online in Europe.
We already took action on GPAI risks, including X’s chatbot in March.
We are in touch with X: the company must act on its chatbots risks.
It goes against Europe’s fundamental rights and values.
The DSA is clear: hate speech has no place online in Europe.
We already took action on GPAI risks, including X’s chatbot in March.
We are in touch with X: the company must act on its chatbots risks.
November 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM
EU Commission spokesperson on tech. The difficulty here is that the Commission sent X a provisional finding of breach of the Digital Services Act 16 months ago, and has done nothing since. So why take this expression of concern seriously?
Dr @joellegrogan.bsky.social is of course too modest to mention the written evidence we submitted to the House of Lords as part of this inquiry and which is available here: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...
November 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Dr @joellegrogan.bsky.social is of course too modest to mention the written evidence we submitted to the House of Lords as part of this inquiry and which is available here: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...
Reposted by Laurent Pech 🇺🇦
This week on #TheLawShow, we talked Law Under Fire with Mark Evans, President of the #LawSocietyofEngland&Wales, and Charlie Sherrard KC - asking whether increasing political attacks on lawyers and the judiciary for doing their jobs could undermine the rule of law and democracy in the UK.
The Law Show - The law under fire - BBC Sounds
Do political attacks on the law put legal professionals in danger?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 2:24 PM
This week on #TheLawShow, we talked Law Under Fire with Mark Evans, President of the #LawSocietyofEngland&Wales, and Charlie Sherrard KC - asking whether increasing political attacks on lawyers and the judiciary for doing their jobs could undermine the rule of law and democracy in the UK.
"Declaring compliance with the conditionalities not only raised legal concerns. It also removed crucial financial leverage that could have been used by the new government to increase pressure on autocratic enclaves"
Good post on 🇵🇱& premature release of EU funds www.europeanlawblog.eu/pub/ob58umj6...
Good post on 🇵🇱& premature release of EU funds www.europeanlawblog.eu/pub/ob58umj6...
Reactivating conditionality in Poland
Rule of law restoration in Poland appears increasingly bleak. This post examines how the reactivation of conditionalities in the CPR and the RRF Regulation could provide the government with new levera...
www.europeanlawblog.eu
November 20, 2025 at 8:48 AM
"Declaring compliance with the conditionalities not only raised legal concerns. It also removed crucial financial leverage that could have been used by the new government to increase pressure on autocratic enclaves"
Good post on 🇵🇱& premature release of EU funds www.europeanlawblog.eu/pub/ob58umj6...
Good post on 🇵🇱& premature release of EU funds www.europeanlawblog.eu/pub/ob58umj6...
This is exactly the type of partisan behaviour which will further enable increasing backsliding. EPP has not learned anything from years of shielding Orban it would seem. At this stage, the 3 main EU institutions are no longer able/willing to assess RoL issues across 27 EUMS properly
The @eppgroup.bsky.social backed by far-right and right-wing votes, blocked a planned visit by MEPs to Italy to assess the state of rule of law, politico.eu writes. The trip had previously been agreed by lawmakers from the EPP, S&D and Renew as part of a package that also included a visit to Spain.
November 20, 2025 at 8:18 AM
This is exactly the type of partisan behaviour which will further enable increasing backsliding. EPP has not learned anything from years of shielding Orban it would seem. At this stage, the 3 main EU institutions are no longer able/willing to assess RoL issues across 27 EUMS properly