La République, « Fille Aînée de l’Église »? : la morale républicaine de l’école laïque du XIXe siècle et ses racines catholiques

This thesis uses the secular school of nineteenth-century France to understand one of the “pillars” of French identity—la laïcité, or the separation of Church and state. Solidifying itself through anticlerical policy, the French state reified the notion of a Republic-Church opposition. The secularized school and its morale républicaine became instrumental in this process. An analysis of the textbooks which preached this morale républicaine, however, reveals the continuities between the latter and Christian principles. At the same time, an examination of the political debates surrounding school secularization suggests a reason for the obfuscation of such continuities. By unmasking these, I will introduce a more nuanced appreciation of la laïcité and the role of French anticlericalism in shaping conceptions of the Republic

The Problem of Unpaid Internships: Legal Guide to Complaints Under the European Social Charter

Young people entering the job market are in a precarious economic position. Across Europe, and in Belgium in particular, those who wish to enter into the professional world are faced with the de facto mandate that in order to gain experience and build the connections that will enable them to find paid professional work in the future, they must complete several internships. Yet many of these internships are unpaid or underpaid, forcing some young people to rely on their savings or their parents and shutting others out of the process entirely.The European Committee of Social Rights (the “Committee”) accepts collective complaints lodged by non-governmental organisations alleging violations of the European Social Charter (the “Charter”). The EU Public Interest Clinic prepared this draft Complaint for the non-profit organization European Youth Forum, alleging that unpaid internships in Belgium violate the Charter. Specifically, the provisions in Belgian law that enable unpaid internships, and the lack of enforcement of provisions that aim to curtail them, violate Articles 4, 7, and 10 of the Charter, which provide for fair remuneration, the protection of young people, and financial assistance for vocational training, respectively