The ECB's Membership in the IMF: Legal Approaches to Constitutional Challenges

Abstract Although the European Central Bank (ECB) is only an observer in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its membership in the IMF will spark constitutional changes for both the EU and the IMF. The ECB's participation in IMF activities has so far been undertaken pragmatically, and is likely to evolve over time. This arrangement will limit the ECB's ability to fully develop in international monetary cooperation. This paper reviews what kinds of constitutional challenges the ECB faces in its bid for membership in the IMF. The research is based on the legal method and assesses the relevant provisions of both the EC Treaty and the IMF's Articles of Agreement. It also suggests some feasible approaches for ECB membership in the IMF.     

解释学法学与法律解释学

解释学法学和法律解释学是在解释法律和法律解释这两个不同的基础性概念和事实中引申出来的概念.作为两种不同的学问,两者无论在研究对象、学科分类、社会(学科)功能以及解释特征上都是明显不同的.区分两者的基本意义,就是要分清在法学研究中对精神性法律实践和物质性法律实践的等量关注,并以此为基础,区分法哲学和法律哲学这两种并不相同的学问.     

波兰的违宪审查制度与宪法裁判所

波兰的违宪审查制既不同于美国的普通法院审查制 ,又不同于法国的宪法委员会审查制 ,波兰宪法裁判所本质上是一个宪法法院 ,兼具司法审查职能和规范审查职能 ;宪法裁判所的职权比较广泛 ,包括审查法律规范、审查政党活动合法性、解决中央机关间的权限争议 ,以及受理宪法诉讼。审查方式包括事前审查与事后审查 ,具有多样性。     

法律解释(学)的基本问题

法律解释是法学研究的的永恒问题 ,但过去的研究仅揭示了法律解释的矛盾或片面地强调了问题的一个方面。本文作者认为事物本身原本就是以矛盾的形式存在的 ,反复进行克服矛盾的努力并不能促成矛盾的解决 ,矛盾依然存在。作者认为法律解释学者应当正视诸如规范与事实、一解与多解、独断与探究、主观与客观、解析与建构之间的矛盾 ,应该在不同的语境中摆正姿态。在一定程度上 ,解释者的姿态决定法律的命运。     

Constitutional Agreements without Constitutional Theories

How is constitution‐making possible, when people disagree on so many questions about what is good and what is right? The answer lies in the existence of incompletely theorized agreements–agreements on abstract formulations (freedom of speech, equality under the law) and on particular practices, amidst disagreement about the largest issues in social life. Such agreements help make constitutions and constitutional law possible, even within nations whose citizens cannot concur on the most fundamental matters. Incompletely theorized agreements thus help illuminate an enduring constitutional puzzle: how members of diverse societies can work together on terms of mutual respect amidst intense disagreements about both the right and the good.     

宪法解释与宪法理解

一 宪法解释之涵义，目前学术界的理解如同对法律解释的理解一样，存在着不同的认识，举其要者，有以下两种代表性的观点： 第一，宪法解释是指一定的国家机关以其享有的宪法解释权对宪法规范的内容、涵义及界限所作的说明。持这种观点者在目前的中国宪法学界占主导地位，是一种通说。代表性的有：“宪法解释，顾名思义，就是有权解释宪法的机构依照一定的解释程序对宪法的含义所作的解释和说明。”①“宪法解释，就是宪法解释机关依照法定权限和程序，根据宪政精神和社会宪政实际需要，对宪法条文的具体含义和适用范围所作的补充说明。”②…     

从宪法到宪政

今年 3月 ,全国人大通过了新的宪法修正案 ,包括人权、私有财产所有权、征收征用补偿权等重要权利已众望所归地进入了宪法 ,这意味着我国现行宪法向宪政迈出了更为坚实的一步 ,受到法学界的广泛关注与积极评价。为进一步宣传这次宪法修改的精神 ,加深对宪法基本价值的理解 ,近日 ,在华东政法学院举行了一场主题为“从宪法到宪政”的博士论坛 ,论坛由华东政法学院院长、博士生导师何勤华教授主持。在论坛中 ,各位主题发言人围绕着“宪法”与“宪政”两大主题 ,从宪法文化、宪法观念、宪法价值、宪法制度与技术等角度出发 ,结合西方宪法传统和我国宪法制度与宪法实践 ,畅谈了各自对于宪法与宪政的认识与感悟 ,并展望了我国宪法发展的基本脉向。本次论坛充分实现了策划的基本目标 ,对于进一步宣传宪法、研究宪法、贯彻宪法具有积极而深远的意义     

法律诠释与意识形态

本文从法律诠释与权利分配之关系入手 ,论述了法律诠释与意识形态之间的必然关联。任何法律诠释总是和一定的利益要求及对该种利益要求的规范调整相关的 ,这是决定法律诠释与意识形态必然关联之内因。在此基础上 ,文章站在批判立场 ,逐层对法律诠释理论和实践做了反思 ,并提出通过对话与整合 ,以“超越”法律诠释之意识形态属性的可能思路。     

The Jurisprudence of Constitutional Conflict: Constitutional Supremacy in Europe before and after the Constitutional Treaty

Abstract:  One of the core constitutional questions for national constitutional courts in the EU in the past decades has been whether to accept the claim made by the Court of Justice that EU law is the supreme law of the land, taking primacy even over conflicting national constitutional provisions. With the inclusion in the recently adopted Constitutional Treaty of a clause explicitly confirming the 'primacy of EU Law' appearances suggest that the EU is about to establish a characteristic of mature, vertically integrated, federal states such as the USA. This article argues that this view is mistaken. It develops a comprehensive jurisprudential framework for addressing constitutional conflicts, 'Constitutionalism Beyond the State' (CBC). CBS detaches the discussion of supremacy and constitutional conflict from a statist framework; provides a jurisprudential account that explains and justifies the highly differentiated, context-sensitive and dynamic set of conflict rules that national courts have in the past adopted; and provides the lacking theoretical basis for the more attractive, but undertheorised sui generis accounts of European constitutional practice that have recently gained ground in the literature. CBS provides a jurisprudentially grounded reconstructive account of why the issue of constitutional conflict is as rich and complicated in Europe as it is and why it is likely to remain so even if the Constitutional Treaty is ratified. The article then goes on to make concrete proposals addressed to national constitutional courts and the Court of Juctise respectively about how, in application of the developed approach, constitutional conflicts ought to be addressed doctrinally. It includes a proposal to read the new 'constitutional identity' clause as authorising Member States as a matter of EU Law to set aside EU Law on constitutional grounds under certain circumstances.     

宪法权利但书与宪法义务

宪法权利但书是对宪法权利的限制,宪法义务是制宪者(人民)要求自己对国家的义务(服从法律)。权利但书与义务在主体、所禁止侵犯的对象以及与权利的关系等方面均有所不同。宪法权利但书与宪法义务都是原则性的,并具有某种程度的重合性。各宪法权利但书形成了整个宪法权利的关系网。作为义务对他人的义务往往伴随着权利及其权利但书;对国家的义务则伴随着国家权力及其权力但书;宪法权利但书中的重要元素——"公共利益"与国家权力密切相关。     

中国宪法诉讼存在论

对于中国是否存在宪法诉讼,我们不能从严格的西方标准来回答,而应从中国实际出发来分析。在理论上,我国宪法并不排斥宪法诉讼,但是,即便最高人民法院出台不支持宪法进入诉讼的司法解释,在司法实践中宪法案件却仍然是存在的。而且,在建立宪法诉讼制度在我国还存在宪法政治化的观念、制度阙如、宪法依据不足等障碍,宪法诉讼功能也尚未发挥出来的情况下,宪法诉讼却已形成由普通法院审理、不存在违宪审查、无独立诉讼形式和以基本权利为诉求的特点。     

原旨主义、活的宪法与复杂状态下的宪法解释?

宪法解释应该遵循原初意义还是回应时代需要,是原旨主义和“活的宪法”之争的焦点所在。在对宪法裁判进行批判与维护的过程中,原意解释方法和非原意解释方法都开始走向基础主义。两种解释方法执着于单一的理念,既无法证明自己比对方更为优秀,也未能对解释实践进行全面的描述。宪法解释是一个相当复杂、语境多元的过程,在不同复杂状况下,法官拥有不同程度的解释裁量权。有鉴于此,任何将宪法解释化约为单一解释哲学的做法,都是不恰当的。     

Trends in Contemporary Hermeneutics and Analytical Philosophy

This paper focuses on some issues where the process of convergence between analytical and hermeneutic perspectives, with respect to their general philosophical grounds, mainly turns out to be clear. On the analytical side, the overcoming of logical Neopositivism and radical formalism and the rejection of the atomistic theory of reference by holistic theories of meaning have been the core shifts. On the side of the continental philosophical tradition, the main theoretical change lies in replacing the centrality of the subject with the centrality of language, with its links to the dimension of intersubjectivity. Furthermore, the importance given to concepts such as action and intention, mainly due to the Wittgensteinian connection between language and forms of life, has led to recognising the active role of the subject in the world and the ability of language to be a means for doing things and not just a system of signs representing the world. Such a convergence, though it has not yet been reached, seems to be particularly fertile in the legal domain. Here, for example, some outcomes of speech acts theory fit the hermeneutic view of law.     

Constitutional Chrononomy

Every constitution defines and is defined by a period in time. Like all law the creation and application of constitutions require reference to the past and future respectively. Every instance of constitution-making is an attempt to control behavior over an extended period of time. Therefore constitutions will be drafted, both in style and substance, to reflect that temporal ambition. The effectiveness of a constitution also requires that its interpretation makes reference to the understanding of its rules held by the constitution-makers. As a result, and notwithstanding the efforts to make it suitable over a long period by its creators, every constitution is bound to become unsuitable. Courts employ a number of devices to cope with the inevitable obsolescence of constitutions but, sooner or later, every constitution will have to be discarded and a new constitutional era begun.     

解释学与荣格心理分析

分析心理学在许多方面方都受到了实在论的困扰，而解释学的方法却克服了这个困难。如荣格虽不是一个实在论者，但他仍不能超越他那个时代世界观的影响，认为自己理论的主要概念是不依赖人类解释过程的实体。因此，分析心理学一直未能摆脱实在论本身的问题，而这些又恰恰制约了分析心理学临床应用。解释学从分析心理学获得启发，如果分析心理学与后现代主义的若干要素的相融合，将能使我们更好地理解性别、神话和欲望的实质。同时通过对深度心理学的普遍性问题的研究，大幅度地推进我们关于人的成长和人类解释过程的认识。     

Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment and Human Rights Approaches to Environmental Protection in Nigeria: Gbemre v. Shell Revisited

In recent years, there has been an increasing practice of incorporating the right to a healthy/clean environment into national constitutions. This practice can be found in various parts of the world. Importantly, the judiciary in many countries has not only enforced such a right but has increasingly tended to interpret other constitutionally guaranteed human rights, especially the right to life, to include the right to a healthy/clean environment. In Nigeria, there are various environmental concerns which raise the question of environmental protection. This article seeks to consider recent developments in Nigeria in relation to the constitutional right to a healthy/clean environment – more specifically, the adoption of the human rights approaches to environmental protection by a Nigerian Federal High Court judge in deciding a case of alleged environmental damage.     

论宪法司法化

宪法司法化是宪政的产物，宪法司法化问题可以分解为两个命题即宪法的司法适用性和违宪审查权。宪法是依法治国的基础和前提，具有最高的效力。要使宪法成为真正的“法”，就必须发挥宪法的效力，将宪法引入诉讼，并建立完善的违宪审查制度。我国现有的制度框架完全可以容纳宪法的司法化。我国行政诉讼法规定法院可以对行政机关的具体行政行为的合法性进行审查，据此，可尝试将行政机关制定行政法规、规章以及其他规范性文件的行为纳入司法审查的范围，法院有审查行政机关抽象行政行为的权力，可以直接宣布违宪或违法的具体行政行为无效。如涉及法律与宪法冲突时，则可提交人大常委会请求解释。这样既与我国的宪法规定不抵触，也实际上将除法律以外的规范性文件纳入了司法审查的范围。另外，法院在审理民事、行政案件找不到其他法律作根据时，可选择地直接适用宪法规范作为裁判依据。