Political turmoil in Morocco spills over into tensions with the Netherlands

Morocco recalled its Ambassador to the Netherlands following a row over the extradition of a former Moroccan MP who has been linked to protests in the country. Luigi Lonardo explains the background to the incident and assesses what it might mean for Morocco’s relationship with the European Union

The EU’s ‘diplomatic accident’ with Morocco shows the perils of judge-led foreign policy

Morocco announced at the end of February that it was suspending ties with the European Union. The statement was issued following a ruling by the European Court of Justice that an EU-Morocco trade deal was illegal on the basis that it included the territory of Western Sahara. Luigi Lonardo writes that while the ruling is currently being appealed, the incident illustrates some of the dangers of the EU’s judiciary playing an active role in reviewing diplomatic and foreign policy issues

The EU’s new Global Strategy remains wedded to an old-fashioned conception of foreign policy

Federica Mogherini presented a draft ‘Global Strategy’ on 28 June, which is intended to guide the EU’s foreign and security policy. Luigi Lonardo argues that by stressing the need for unity among member states, the new strategy overlooks the risks that can occur from a centralised foreign policy. A more flexible approach to foreign policy would not only help to alleviate these risks, but would also be preferable on democratic grounds

The evolution of enhanced cooperation in the EU: from EnCo to PeSCo (2009-2019). Bruges Political Research Paper 80/2020.

This paper provides an analysis of the way(s) in which the intent(s) and design(s) of a multi-speed Europe have evolved and have been applied in practice since the mid-1990s. Part 1 focuses on the drive toward differentiation in the discussion in the 90s and points to Economic and Monetary Union as its first (albeit implicit) case in point. Part 2 discusses how the Lisbon Treaty framed ‘enhanced cooperation’. Part 3 offers an overview of the of the few specific cases so far in which those provisions have been triggered and used (family law, patent, taxation, European Public Prosecutor Office). Section 4 then zooms in on the configuration especially designed for defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PeSCo) – and the way in which it has been first activated, while Section 5 analyses its implementation. Finally, the paper presents a comparative assessment of these tools and their use to date. It highlights their correlation with one another as well as the original intent of facilitating differentiated integration within the EU

The political psychology of vertical trust between the European Union and the member states

Mutual trust in European Union law traditionally refers to a horizontal relationship between Member States, requiring them to consider ‘all the other Member States to be complying with EU law’, as the European Court of Justice has repeatedly stated. This Article considers a new perspective: is it possible to detect the existence of trust between Member States on one hand and the European Union’s institutions on the other hand? If so, what are its legal manifestations? And what light does trust shed on the cooperation between the peoples of Europe? To answer these questions, the Article seeks to offer a synthetic vision of the case law, selecting legal issues of European integration as examples of ascending (from Member States to the EU) and descending (from EU to Member States) trust. It then discusses reasons why the Court of Justice of the European Union may want to create a relationship of trust with Member States, drawing from the fruitful insights of political psychology

The deprivation of citizenship of foreign terrorist fighters and their family members and the problem of repatriation of these persons through the lens of EU law

This paper explores the intersection of national and EU law in the context of citizenship deprivation and the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and their families. Focusing on recent cases of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), it addresses the evolving role that EU law plays in the assessment of the validity of Member States’ decisions to strip individuals of national citizenship. The analysis emphasizes the impact of EU citizenship on the proportionality assessment of such decisions, highlighting the right to free movement and access to EU territory. This is evidenced by a comparison between the law and practice in three countries: the UK, France and Denmark. Additionally, the article underscores the need for a unified EU approach to the repatriation of FTFs and their children. The absence of a common strategy among Member States is identified as a concerning gap in addressing the challenges posed by FTFs. The paper also makes some observations on the relevance of EU law not only for the deprivation, but also for the award of national citizenship, with reference to the so-called ‘golden passport’ cases (also known as citizenship by investment)

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Evolving paradigms

In the last years new evidence has accumulated on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) challenging the paradigms that had been holding the scene over the previous 30 years. NAFLD has such an epidemic prevalence as to make it impossible to screen general population looking for NAFLD cases. Conversely, focusing on those cohorts of individuals exposed to the highest risk of NAFLD could be a more rational approach. NAFLD, which can be diagnosed with either non-invasive strategies or through liver biopsy, is a pathogenically complex and clinically heterogeneous disease. The existence of metabolic as opposed to genetic-associated disease, notably including "lean NAFLD" has recently been recognized. Moreover, NAFLD is a systemic condition, featuring metabolic, cardiovascular and (hepatic/extrahepatic) cancer risk. Among the clinico-laboratory features of NAFLD we discuss hyperuricemia, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, gallstones, psoriasis and selected endocrine derangements. NAFLD is a precursor of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome and progressive liver disease develops in T2D patients in whom the course of disease is worsened by NAFLD. Finally, lifestyle changes and drug treatment options to be implemented in the individual patient are also critically discussed. In conclusion, this review emphasizes the new concepts on clinical and pathogenic heterogeneity of NAFLD, a systemic disorder with a multifactorial pathogenesis and protean clinical manifestations. It is highly prevalent in certain cohorts of individuals who are thus potentially amenable to selective screening strategies, intensive follow-up schedules for early identification of liver-related and extrahepatic complications and in whom earlier and more aggressive treatment schedules should be carried out whenever possible