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Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism to Go Into Force on June 1

Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis announced on February 21 that the council’s Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism would go into force on June 1, following its ratification by Romania. It will be operative in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and the Ukraine.

For the full text of Davis’ statement, see here. For more background on the Convention and the Council of Europe’s anti-terrorism measures, see here.

Digest

The European Court of Justice on Sovereign Immunity

On February 15, the European Court of Justice considered the scope of the Brussels Convention, which applies “in civil and commercial matters whatever the nature of the court or tribunal.”  The Court of Justice found that  “civil matters” do not include suits brought by a national of one contracting state against another contracting state for the compensation of damages that occurred during armed operations. The judgment and the opinion can be found here.

Digest

European Parliament Condemns CIA Flights

The European Parliament has voted to appprove a report prepared by the Parliament’s Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for illegal activities. The report condemns flights through European airspace by the CIA for extraordinary rendition as “an illegal instrument used by the USA in the fight against terrorism.” The report also notes that “temporary secret detention facilities in European countries may have been located at US military bases” and condemns several European countries for their unwillingness to cooperate with investigations.

The Parliament’s press release is here.

Digest

Google Loses Copyright Lawsuit

Newspapers are reporting that the Brussels Court of First Instance has ruled against Google in a lawsuit brought by Belgian newspapers. The newspapers had claimed that Google was violating their intellectual property rights by posting the headlines of, and links to, the newspapers’ websites. Google has said that it will appeal.

The International Herald Tribune‘s coverage is here.

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