Steve Towers’ Post

This is an important point.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a profound effect on the European Union, to the point of potentially redesigning both its geographical and constitutional contours. What a better opportunity for Europe’s democratic renewal? Read my latest reflections in EU Law Live in which I call for a renewed understanding of both EU membership and EU accession process to reset the EU integration process ahead of the intertwined enlargement and Treaty reform. https://lnkd.in/e-FeDx_W

ILSA UNN Weekly Digest Do you know that.. “ ... simply signing a treaty does not usually make a State a party. By signing a treaty, the State only indicates it's intention to take steps to express it's consent to be bound by the treaty at a later date. ” Under the Vienna Convention of the Laws of Treaties, the consent of a State to be bound by a treaty is expressed by the signature of its representative when: (a) the treaty provides that signature shall have that effect; (b) it is otherwise established that the negotiating States were agreed that signature should have that effect; or (c) the intention of the State to give that effect to the signature appears from the full powers of its representative or was expressed during the negotiation. #ILSA_UNN #ILSA_UNN_WEEKLY_DIGEST #ILSA_UNN_RESEARCH_TEAM #InternationalLaw

The 12 states where ECIPS can host its presence without any interference from government today will soon expand when the rest of EU join Treaty EST124 as below.

Position on media reports about legislative amendments planned in Russia, related to state maritime boundaries Russia’s actions are seen as a deliberate, targeted, escalatory provocation to intimidate neighbouring countries and their societies. This is further proof that Russia’s aggressive and revisionist policy is a threat to the security of neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole. Lithuania today is summoning a representative of the Russian Federation for a full explanation. We are also coordinating our response with partners. Lithuania recalls and urges Russian Federation to respect and abide by the universally recognised principles and norms of international law, in particular UN Convention on the Law on Sea, to which Russia is a party as well as international and bilateral agreements on the inviolability of frontiers, namely the 1991 Treaty on the Foundations of Inter-State Relations, the 1997 Treaty on the State Border between Lithuania and Russia, the 1997 Treaty on the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf in the Baltic Sea, the 2005 Agreement on the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf Boundaries in the Baltic Sea, and other agreements. A post on X by Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dviP7FFS Statement 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dtWZFAdw Vyriausybės kanceliarija / Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas

The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill - the quality of Ministry of Justice advice. Last night a Newshub story featured material from the Ministry of Justice released by the Waitangi Tribunal that criticised the Treaty Principles Bill's interpretation of the Treaty/Tiriti (see attached clip). I have no particular axe to grind on this issue. I just want an informed public discussion about the meaning of the Treaty as I believe it is critical to our future to have such a discussion. With this in mind, earlier in the year I requested under the Official Information Act all substantive analysis by the Ministry of Justice in the past 10 years on the meaning of the Treaty and the Treaty principles. The reply I received was that NO substantive analysis had been undertaken. Given this answer, I really do question the Ministry's capacity to say anything meaningful on the Treaty to Ministers. This is very disappointing as there is so much material that could have usefully been prepared for Ministers to help facilitate a constructive public discussion about the various interpretations of the Treaty. Disclosure: I have previously been a Ministry of Justice employee.

Can a country impose controls on what passes through its national borders? Can international treaty agreements can impose restrictions on national controls? It's a debate going on right now between 27 EU countries and may affect your shipments. Learn more, https://hubs.la/Q02x6LyW0

🇺🇦🇲🇺 The two sides will also explore ways and means to enhance cooperation in the financial sector through the conclusion of a Double Taxation Treaty (DTT) and a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT).

Another day, another seminar! 📚 Seminar series by the University of Cambridge, with the presence of Advocate General, CJEU (2006 - 2020) Eleanor Sharpston KC and professor Dr Markus Gehring about the importance of Treaty reforms in the EU in order for enlargement of the Union! 🇪🇺 ‘The 2023 Franco-German Proposal on Reforming and Enlarging the EU – A Conversation’ was the topic of the discussion. One thought I feel the need to share from this seminar about the political will for the enlargement and Treaty reforms: "The EU must open its windows and let the air in. And I find it refreshing". I strongly recommend reading the Sailing on the High Seas proposal by 12 Franco-German experts. 🇫🇷 🤝 🇩🇪 #Cambridge #EU #enlargement #reform #EUlaw

Foreign Policy Manipulation by Superpowers I make the provocative claim that a country's foreign policy is not truly independent, but rather an expression of the ambitions of foreign powers that prop up the regime. This speaks to the concept of client states and spheres of influence in international relations. The idea that a government's survival depends on the support of external actors, who then dictate foreign policy, is a common critique of authoritarian regimes allied with global superpowers. The regime trades away national interests for regime security.