Die Abgrenzung Versuch/Vollendung als Nichtigkeitsgrund

Die durch den OGH unl?ngst erfolgte Einordnung der Abgrenzung Versuch/Vollendung in den Nichtigkeitsgrund des § 281 Abs 1 Z 11 StPO statt wie bisher in Z 10 überzeugt nach Ansicht des Verfassers nicht. Z 10 ist nicht in dieser Weise zu interpretieren. Versuch und Vollendung sind nicht gleichwertig, sondern bilden eigene Tatbest?nde innerhalb eines Deliktstypus. Die Eliminierung der Z 10 wirkt sich auf das Verst?ndnis des Verbrechensbegriffs aus. Weder die Parallele zur Einheitst?terschaft noch die Prozess?konomie k?nnen die Entscheidung des OGH rechtfertigen.     

Beginn der Verjährungsfrist für Pflichtteilsansprüche

Die dreij?hrige Verj?hrungsfrist für Pflichtteilsansprüche beginnt einheitlich für alle Berechtigten mit dem Tag der Errichtung des übernahmeprotokolls durch den Gerichtskommiss?r.     

Offering financial services over the Internet: What is possible and how to protect consumers?

Modern means of communication are increasingly being used for the provision of financial services. This paper shows that although in Belgium it is legally possible to conclude an agreement relating to financial services completely online, in practice it often remains impossible to perform all legal acts to conclude the contract electronically. However, this does not mean that Belgian consumers actually have to go to their financial institution to sign the contract, since many institutions enable consumers to enter into a distance contract. In view of this, this paper also aims at examining whether the techniques which are being used by the legislator to protect consumers – i.e. the obligation to provide certain information and the right to withdraw from the contract – are effective.     

The European Court's political power

The European Court has emerged as one of the most powerful political institutions in the European Union and the most influential international court in existence. National courts are the linchpins of the European legal system, making European Court decisions enforceable and creating an independent power base for the European Court. This article examines why national courts agreed to take on a role enforcing European law supremacy against their own governments and why national politicians did not stop an institutional transformation of the European legal system which greatly compromised national sovereignty. Competition between lower and higher national courts, each trying to enhance their influence and authority vis‐à‐vis each other, explains how national legal interpretive barriers and high‐court ambivalence regarding the European Court's declaration of European Law Supremacy was overcome. Politicians proved unable to reverse national court acceptance of European law supremacy, and institutional rules kept politicians from sanctioning either national courts or the European Court for judicial activism. Legal doctrine became a form of institution‐building, and a mechanism to make international law enforceable was created, giving the European Court the ability to make unpopular decisions and to compel compliance with European law.     

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)--standardised investigations and classification: recommendations

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) still accounts for considerable numbers of unexpected infant deaths in many countries. While numerous theories have been advanced to explain these events, it is increasingly clear that this group of infant deaths results from the complex interaction of a variety of heritable and idiosyncratic endogenous factors interacting with exogenous factors. This has been elegantly summarised in the "three hit" or "triple risk" model. Contradictions and lack of consistencies in the literature have arisen from diverse autopsy approaches, variable applications of diagnostic criteria and inconsistent use of definitions. An approach to sudden infant death is outlined with discussion of appropriate tissue sampling, ancillary investigations and the use of controls in research projects. Standardisation of infant death investigations with the application of uniform definitions and protocols will ensure optimal investigation of individual cases and enable international comparisons of trends.