La technique législative québécoise d'entrée en vigueur des lois

L'entrée en vigueur des lois québécoises est réglée par différents modes de mise en vigueur et différentes formules législatives. L'absence d'uniformité dans l'emploi de ces formules soulève cependant certaines difficultés d'application des lois, particulièrement celles qui entrent en vigueur postérieurement à leur sanction. A la lumière des décisions récentes rendues par la Cour supérieure et la Cour du Québec sur la nécessité de mettre en vigueur les dispositions d'entrée en vigueur des lois elles-mêmes, le présent article expose les principes qui devraient être pris en considération dans la rédaction des dispositions d'entrée en vigueur, notamment la globalité et l'effectivité de la loi. La diversité des formules législatives et des modes de mise en vigueur ayant accentué l'incohérence rédactionnelle des dispositions d'entrée en vigueur des lois québécoises, une nouvelle interprétation de l'article 5 de la Loi d'interprétation est proposée pour légitimiser les dispositions actuelles.The coming into force of Quebec statutes is governed by a variety of enabling provisions and distinct legislative formulas. The absence of uniformity in the use of these formulas creates, however, problems in enforcement, especially with laws that come into force after being assented to. In the light of recent decisions handed down by the Superior Court and the Court of Quebec on the need for putting into force the statutory enabling provisions, this article presents the principles that should be taken into account in drafting enabling provisions, namely regarding the scope and effectiveness of the statute. Since the variety of legislative formulas and enabling provisions have underscored the incoherent drafting of provisions for bringing Quebec statutes into force, a new interpretation of Section 5 of the Interpretation Act is proposed to make current provisions legitimate

Cities in late medieval Europe: the promise and curse of modernity

This article examines how modern historiography has developed quite differentiated views on the way medieval cities have given expression to renewal and to creativity. 'National' traditions have played a highly influential role in modifying the general views articulated in the major syntheses produced by scholars such as Max Weber and Henri Pirenne at the beginning of the twentieth century. An almost jubilant way of looking at the city as the hotbed of modernity gave room, in the decades after the Great War, to pessimism and a negative view on urbanity, before a more nuanced and positive view has been re-established after World War II and in the course of recent paradigmatic changes

Papers prepared for the Colloquium "Working for Europe: Perspectives on the EU 50 Years after the Treaties of Rome"

The Chamber of Representatives of the Belgian Parliament asked the permanent professors of the College of Europe to write brief papers for a conference organized in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The objective of these papers was to highlight the main challenges facing the European Union in four different issue areas (Lisbon Strategy, enlargement, Neighbourhood Policy and institutional reform) and to generate a debate among Belgian academics, politicians and members of civil society. The papers produced used to promote this discussion are reprinted here