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e-News 2026/1 |
Editorial |
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Dear Colleagues, On 2 February, in the heart of winter, we found ourselves in the beautiful city of Leipzig, where, in the framework of the 2nd seminar of the Hellenic Presidency, we attempted to “redefine the terms and limits of judicial review, particularly in relation to disputes of a highly technical nature”, while at the same time enjoying the warm hospitality of President Korbmacher and our German colleagues. A few days earlier, the submission of responses to the questionnaires for the 2025 cross-sectional analysis, entitled “Economic dimension of administrative court procedures – mapping of competences and procedural mechanisms at the level of supreme administrative courts for business-related procedures”, had been completed. The narrative report that the working group is preparing will be sent to you in the coming weeks for your comments. A few days after the seminar in Leipzig, the submission of responses to the questionnaires for the 3rd seminar of the Hellenic Presidency, entitled “New elements in the organisation and functioning of Public Administration and Administrative Justice”, was also completed. As you already know, this seminar will take place in Rhodes, together with the meeting of the Board and the General Assembly of our Association, in less than a month (15–16 May), as spring gives way to the … Greek summer! We are already preparing the general report for the seminar, which, it should be noted, will be the first seminar to be held with both in-person participation and remote, online participation by judges and certain members of court staff. At the same time, our Italian colleagues are processing the responses they received to their own questionnaire for the 4th seminar of the Hellenic Presidency, entitled “Technological challenges, with particular attention being paid to the introduction of digital technology and artificial intelligence into the organisation of the Administration and Administrative Justice”, which will take place on 23–24 November 2026. Dear colleagues, Humanity is facing major challenges, requiring closer intergovernmental cooperation and global understanding, such as a) the climate crisis, which inspired the 1st seminar of the Hellenic Presidency, b) the rapid development of artificial intelligence and its penetration into Public Administration and the administration of justice, which we will explore in the framework of the 4th seminar. At the same time a new war (in the Persian Gulf and in Lebanon) has been added to others, which are either ongoing (in Ukraine, four years already since the Russian invasion) or under temporary ceasefire (in Gaza), leaving tens of thousands dead and creating the conditions for new refugee and migration flows (how timely, unfortunately, the topic selected for the 5th seminar in Poland!). Now, more than ever, the value of the European Union as a union based on the rule of law is highlighted, as well as the need for its strategic autonomy, in the face of revisionist approaches and the law of force. In this direction move both the joint statement of 26.1.2026 of the ENCJ, EAJ and ACA-Europe regarding the judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court targeted by the sanctions of the USA (I recall here that we were the first, from this very position, in the editorial of e-News 2025-3, to point out this improper attack on judicial independence), as well as the request of the European Court of Human Rights to our Association, through the letter of 5.2.2026 from its President, Mr Guyomar, to be admitted as an invited member in our Association. The latter will be discussed at the Board and General Assembly in Rhodes. In this forum of shared values and high-level scientific dialogue that we have created, lies the hope for a better and more just tomorrow, so that we may disprove the closing lines of the poet Nikos Gatsos in the song entitled “Kemal” by Manos Hadjidakis (1993): “… My defeated falcon, times do not change. With fire and with the sword the world always moves forward. Good night, Kemal. This world will never change. Good night …” (here in its original -different- English lyrics, performed by the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble in 1970: https://open.spotify.com/track/0dIgjKwbv01GUdZ1gwtorK). Michail Pikramenos, |
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Seminars, Colloquia, Board meeting and General Assembly |
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This winter, the activities of ACA-Europe were marked by the seminar held in Leipzig on 2 February 2026. The event was organised by the Federal Administrative Court of Germany in cooperation with ACA-Europe under the Greek Presidency. Entitled “Redefining the terms and limits of judicial review, particularly in relation to disputes of a highly technical nature”, the seminar followed the Presidency’s inaugural seminar in Athens in November 2025. It brought together participants from across Europe for a rich and engaging exchange on one of the most challenging aspects of administrative adjudication. Drawing on responses from 31 participating institutions to a preparatory questionnaire, the host court prepared a General Report highlighting both common trends and national differences in how councils of state and supreme administrative courts handle highly technical disputes. The seminar itself was structured around three sessions, addressing respectively the use of internal and external technical expertise, the setting and changing of technical standards, and judicial review of decisions involving prognostic assessments. Examples of such decisions include decisions where there exists uncertainty related to the achievement of climate targets, uncertainty on the application of the Birds Directive 2009/147 or uncertainty in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. Discussions illustrated the diverse approaches courts adopt to ensure a sound understanding of complex factual and scientific issues, while also reflecting on the limits of judicial review in contexts where uncertainty, expertise and administrative discretion converge. The event concluded with a broad and lively exchange of perspectives from across Europe. A web summary of the seminar, along with the General Report and the 31 national reports, is now available on the ACA-Europe website. The seminar held in Athens on 10 and 11 November 2025, entitled “Climate Change Crisis / Overtourism”, also continues to resonate. Organised by the Hellenic Council of State in collaboration with ACA-Europe, this first seminar under the Greek Presidency brought together more than 60 participants from ACA-Europe member institutions, as well as observer and guest institutions. The discussions highlighted both the urgency and complexity of these issues for administrative justice. On the one hand, the seminar examined the expanding body of international, European and national legal instruments and case-law relating to the climate crisis, as well as the challenging role of judges in reviewing administrative action and inaction in this area. On the other hand, it explored the increasingly visible phenomenon of overtourism, the pressures it places on local communities, infrastructure, housing and cultural heritage, and the emerging responses developed by legislators, administrations and courts. Supported by the General Report and a wide range of national contributions, the two sessions provided a valuable comparative overview of how courts are addressing these evolving challenges. A web summary of the Athens seminar is now available on the ACA-Europe website. Looking ahead, members are warmly invited to the next major ACA-Europe gathering in Rhodes. Under the Hellenic Presidency, the Board of ACA-Europe will meet on 14 May 2026, followed by the seminar and the first General Assembly of the Association under this Presidency on 15 and 16 May 2026. Invitations were sent to members on 20 February 2026. The seminar, organised by the Hellenic Council of State, will address the theme “New developments in the organisation and functioning of Public Administration and Administrative Justice”. The questionnaire was distributed to members on 22 December 2025. Its aim is twofold: first, to examine collaboration with private individuals who are not public servants in the context of unilateral administrative action, with particular focus on the delegation to such individuals of tasks traditionally performed by public officials during the procedure for issuing administrative acts; and second, to study the integration of private-sector organisational models into the tools and operating methods of public administration. The questionnaire was answered by no less than 34 members of ACA-Europe. The questionnaire and the 34 national reports are now available on the ACA-Europe website. The seminar will begin on Friday 15 May with two sessions comprising presentations, interventions and discussions. On Saturday 16 May, the final session - including the presentation of conclusions - will be followed by the General Assembly. The seminar will be held in a hybrid format, allowing judicial staff, including members of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Courts, as well as selected court staff, to participate remotely, while the General Assembly will take place in person. Members were invited to register by Monday 16 March 2026, and practical information on accommodation and travel was circulated together with the draft programme. Further ahead, members may wish to note that the ACA-Europe Board will meet again on 22 November 2026, followed by a seminar in Italy on 23 and 24 November 2026. We look forward to welcoming many participants to these upcoming events. |
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Forum |
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The forum of ACA-Europe currently has 247 members from 34 institutions. Since the last e-news, 5 new collective questions have been asked and 11 countries have actively participated with 20 answers: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia. The following topics were discussed:
Access to the forum is reserved for the members of ACA-Europe, who can register for it at the following address: http://www.aca-europe.eu/forum/ |
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Recent updates of CJEU ‘Flash News’ bulletins |
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From June 2022 onwards, all members of ACA-Europe are informed by ‘info flash’ of any recent updates of the CJEU ‘Flash news Bulletins’ published on the ACA-website. For ease of access, please click the provided links to view the most recent editions. ECHR: Flash 7/25 | Flash 8/25 Follow-up of preliminary ruling: Flash 5/25 National decisions of interest: Flash 4/25 | Flash 5/25 | Flash 6/25 Monthly case-law digest CJEU: December 2025 | January 2026 | February 2026 | March 2026 |
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Judge Exchange |
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As part of the 2027 judges’ exchange programme, the General Secretariat will propose a list of primary and reserve candidates to the Board of ACA-Europe in Rhodes. The Secretariat notes the continued strong success of this flagship ACA-Europe programme, with a stable number of applications, and thanks its member institutions for their active participation, without which the programme could not be carried out. |
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e-Library of European administrative law |
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The e-Library of European administrative law, available here, contains high-level judicial and scientific references that cannot be found anywhere else or that only have restricted distribution overview. The most recent contributions include:
Call for contributions We are actively seeking contributions to further enhance our collection. ACA-Europe welcomes submissions on a range of topics, including the hierarchy of norms, fundamental rights, the rule of law, access to justice, efficiency of administrative justice, European administrative law, and comparative procedural law. We strongly encourage submissions from both academic and policy/practice-based perspectives. Are you acquainted with any noteworthy publications? Have you authored a piece related to European administrative law? Inform us, and we would be delighted to include it in our online collection. Reach out to us at anke.meskens@aca-europe.eu. |
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Members' News |
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If you have news to share with your ACA Europe colleagues, whether it's the appointment of a new chairman, a significant change in your institution's operations, or the organization of an (international) seminar, feel free to reach out to us at anke.meskens@aca-europe.eu. We welcome your updates and contributions. |
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ACA News |
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In this issue |
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Seminars, Colloquia, Board meeting and General Assembly |
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Agenda |
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Cross-sectional analysis |
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The 2025 cross-sectional analysis, entitled “The Economic Dimension of Administrative Court Procedures - Mapping of Competences and Procedural Mechanisms at the Level of Supreme Administrative Courts (SACs) for Business-Related Procedures”, examines the evolving role of Supreme Administrative Courts in adjudicating economically significant cases across Europe. The topic is particularly relevant. As such, in response to increasingly complex economic disputes, Supreme Administrative Courts are making greater use of procedural tools such as interim relief, accelerated proceedings and digitalisation. At the same time, judicial training and institutional support mechanisms continue to develop. The questionnaire was circulated among members of ACA-Europe on 15 December 2025, with a deadline for responses set for 30 January 2026. We are pleased to note that 31 members submitted replies, once again demonstrating a high level of engagement with the subject. Following the successful completion of the first two phases of the study, namely the drafting of the questionnaire and the collection of responses, the working group has now entered the third and final phase of the analysis. The data gathered has been carefully examined, and the Secretariat-General is currently preparing the draft final report, with a view to circulating it to members for comments at the beginning of May. Once the initial draft has been shared, members of the working group and all member institutions will be strongly encouraged to provide their feedback. A final opportunity for review will be offered during the General Assembly, allowing any remaining members to contribute before the report is finalised. Publication of the final report on the ACA-Europe website is expected by the end of June 2026. |
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