Prof. Nußberger was in conversation with WDR on Human Rights Day, December 10, 2024.
The topic of the interview was her newly published children's book “Free and Equal - Human Rights.”
She talks about why, as a professor, she decided to write a young people's book and explains which real-life cases inspired her to do so.
Prof. Angelika Nußberger was awarded the Romano-Guardini Prize 2024 on December 10, 2024.
The award was presented to her at a ceremony in Munich. The laudatory speech was given by the former President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Prof. Dr. Andreas Voßkuhle. Further speeches were given by Joachim Herrmann, Minister of the Interior of the Free State of Bavaria, and Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
The Romano Guardini Prize has been awarded since 1970 and honors outstanding services to the interpretation of time and the world in various areas of life.
Prof. Nußberger received the prize for her commitment to certain topics, in particular the protection of human rights, the preservation of the rule of law, the special features of international law in Central and Eastern Europe and the debate on Russia's political system.
We would like to congratulate Prof. Angelika Nußberger on receiving this special prize from the Academy.
Dr. Paula Rhein-Fischer gave an interview to the State Agency for Civic Education of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of Human Rights Week.
The topic of the interview was “A look into the research Read the entire interview here.g: Dr. Rhein-Fischer, are human rights in danger?”
Ms. Paula Rhein-Fischer talks about topics that concern her as a researcher on the subject of human rights; she also deals with the position of the Federal Constitutional Court and its influence on the development of human rights.
Professor Nussberger took part in the Belgrade Security Conference 2024. The Belgrade Security Conference 2024 took place from November 18 to 20 at the Sava Center in Belgrade under the motto “In Defense of Humanity”. The high-level international conference is an important platform for dialog on current geopolitical challenges. Discussions focused on the US and EU elections, Europe's position in the changing world order and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Particular attention was paid to the integration of the Western Balkans and regional security issues. Highlights of the event included the presentation of the Lighthouse Award 2024, a memorial lecture for Budimir Lončar and various expert panels on topics such as cyber security and the role of the younger generation. Prof. Angelika Nußberger spoke on the second day of the conference in the session “The Judiciary as the Guardian of Fundamental Values”. In her contribution, she addressed the role of the Venice Commission and emphasized the importance of dialogue with civil society.
Professor Nussberger took part in the Belgrade Security Conference 2024. The Belgrade Security Conference 2024 took place from November 18 to 20 at the Sava Center in Belgrade under the motto “In Defense of Humanity”. The high-level international conference is an important platform for dialog on current geopolitical challenges. Discussions focused on the US and EU elections, Europe's position in the changing world order and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Particular attention was paid to the integration of the Western Balkans and regional security issues. Highlights of the event included the presentation of the Lighthouse Award 2024, a memorial lecture for Budimir Lončar and various expert panels on topics such as cyber security and the role of the younger generation. Prof. Angelika Nußberger spoke on the second day of the conference in the session “The Judiciary as the Guardian of Fundamental Values”. In her contribution, she addressed the role of the Venice Commission and emphasized the importance of dialogue with civil society.
On November 24, 2024, Prof. Angelika Nußberger and Rotraut Susanne Berner presented their joint children's book “Free and Equal” at the 65th Munich Book Show. In the book, they convey the history of human rights in a vivid way.
The book deals with fundamental topics such as human dignity, freedom, equality and security based on true stories. The authors address current challenges such as the situation of refugees, human rights in Russia under Putin and environmental and climate protection in the context of human rights. Particular attention is paid to the balanced presentation of human rights and human duties. As a result, the book not only provides information, but also encourages reflection.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Introduction to new IACL Blog series: Spotlight on the Venice Commission
Helle Krunke & Angelika Nußberger
President of the IACL & Chair of the IACL Commission on the Cooperation with the Venice Commission
The International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) and the Venice Commission have a long-standing cooperation. They have a lot in common, especially the strong focus on democracy, rule of law, and human rights, within and beyond Europe. The IACL has observer status in the Venice Commission, and the Venice Commission has observer status in the Executive Commission of the IACL. While the Venice Commission focuses more on practical work, issuing opinions on constitutional amendments and new laws, the IACL brings together constitutionalists from all continents and contributes to a better understanding of the similarities and differences of legal systems worldwide; thus, their work is complementary and mutually inspiring.
That is why the IACL and the Venice Commission have already organized several conferences together. The next joint conference with the topic “Lessons Learned and Learning Lessons. The Venice Commission’s Experience in Elaborating Transnationally Valid Constitutional Standards” will be held in Venice on 12 March 2025.
In light of the valued cooperation between the IACL and the Venice Commission, the IACL Commission on the Cooperation between the IACL and the Venice Commission, will introduce a new IACL Blog series to discuss important opinions of the Venice Commission.
On October 14 and 15, a delegation from the Venice Commission, of which Prof. Nußberger was a member, visited Warsaw, Poland, to prepare an opinion on the laws on the Constitutional Tribunal and draft constitutional amendments relating to the Constitutional Tribunal.
The delegation of the Venice Commission met with the Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, a former visiting professor of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection, members of Parliament (ruling coalition and opposition parties), the Constitutional Tribunal, the President's Office, the Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights, a former President of the Constitutional Tribunal and civil society organizations.
The Autumn School of the DAAD Taz'iz LegalLead project took place from the 30th of September until the 5th of October 2024 at the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Science of the University of Carthage. It brought together law students from the University of Carthage (Tunisia), the Al-Nahrain University (Iraq) and the University of Cologne (Germany) who were able to meet NGOs, experts and professors from all universities in various lectures, online workshops and group discussions. During the Autumn School, Dr. Cathérine Van de Graaf held a lecture on “Mobilising the gender discrimination argument in third party interventions before the European Court of Human Rights” and Reza Khabook on “Constitutional law in Islamic countries from a comparative perspective”.
About LegalLead
Law schools play a crucial role in the development of democratic institutions and the rule of law. However, in order to create a positive impact on society, it is necessary to have strong and effective transfer structures, to bring the knowledge generated by academia into practical use. A young generation of advocates and political scientists needs soft skills, the ability of solution-oriented and critical thinking, as well as links to a network of decision-makers outside the university – from governmental institutions to local policy think-tanks and NGOs. The LegalLead project seeks to strengthen transfer structures of leading law schools in Iraq and Tunisia and Germany and does so by building up and improving the structures of law clinics at the partner universities on the topics of female empowerment and good governance.
Prof. Dr. DDr. h.c. Angelika Nußberger was a guest on the podcast “Recht wissenschaftlich” and spoke about the circumstances that set her on her unusual career path and how she became a professor of constitutional law, international law and comparative law, Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and a member of the Venice Commission.
Yet it all began with a degree in Slavic studies and the desire to become a teacher.
New Open-Access Book by Dr. Miklasová Explores Secession in International Law
In her new book Secession in International Law with a Special Reference to the Post-Soviet Space (Brill), our Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr. Júlia Miklasová, explores the increasing relevance of international law to cases of unilateral secession, particularly when connected to breaches of peremptory norms (jus cogens). It also emphasizes the critical role of post-Soviet secessionist practice within this legal context.
The book builds on Dr. Miklasová PhD thesis completed at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva (2021, summa cum laude avec les félicitations du jury). It was thoroughly updated to reflect recent developments and finalised at the Academy for European Human Rights Protection in Cologne. The book is now published as an open-access publication with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation, as part of Brill’s Theory and Practice of Public International Law series.
The book delves into the essential elements of contemporary international law concerning secession, covering topics such as the role of facts, the right to secede, referenda, declarations of independence, the principle of territorial integrity, and the relationship with consensual methods of State formation. Dr. Miklasová's central argument reinforces and expands upon the legalist position: if a secessionist entity gains effectiveness through violations of jus cogens norms, the creation of statehood is prohibited—legality takes precedence over effectiveness. Advancing this legal paradigm further, Dr. Miklasová introduces the concept of the "illegal secessionist entity" and demonstrates the pervasive effects of the original illegality on the entity's subsequent diplomatic, treaty, and economic relations, as well as its acts and laws. The book also examines the intersecting legal regimes of occupation law, human rights law, and the duty of non-recognition.
Drawing on an unprecedented analysis of practice involving Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions, the book identifies a common thread relating to these entities: despite their on-the-ground effectiveness, their existence stems from illegal use of force. As a result, these entities are barred from achieving statehood, and their illegality produces further legal consequences. The book also delves into specific issues such as the territorial scope of treaties related to these entities (e.g., the applicability of the Russia-Ukraine BIT to annexed Crimea), the legality of trade with them, the international opposability of privatizations, and the validity of birth and marriage certificates, among other legal acts issued by these entities. The analysis of post-Soviet secessionist practice underscores long-term general trends in the modern legal understanding of secession, particularly highlighting the critical role of jus cogens norms and their effects.
Dr. Júlia Miklasová will launch her book at the Academy of European Human Rights Protection in Cologne in early 2025.
