Sign in

Thomas Verellen

@tverellen.bsky.social
916 followers 1.4K following 382 posts

EU Trade & Migration | Utrecht & ULB | Advocaat | www.thomasverellen.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 15/07/2026
The State Department has just put out a tender, offering funding of up to $3 million to European organizations who want to fight against "Supra-national institutions" - presumably the EU - and governments who seek to regulate the internet and end Western Civilization. www.state.gov/drl-nofo-dev...
state.gov
DRL NOFO Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in Europe - United States Department of State
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in EuropeBureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, Department of StateOpportunity number: ...
1601258696
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I’m was in Victoria, BC, last week for the ECSA-C Conference. Ahead of my presentation, I published a short blog post on how economic security interacts with resource federalism in the EU and Canada.
110
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Utrecht Law Review @utrechtlawreview.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
ULR just published a special issue: "Questioning Economic Security". As economic interdependence is weaponized, the EU and its partners rethink trade, investment, and resilience. Explore how economic security is reshaping EU trade law, policy, and values. Contributions include:
141
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The European Commission plans to ask member states next month for a green light to pursue far-reaching trade action against China, in what will be a major test of EU unity and resolve in responding to a deepening China shock open.substack.com/pub/nbarkin/...
open.substack.com
Watching China in Europe - May 2026
The EU plans to ask European leaders next month for a green light to pursue far-reaching trade measures against China. It will be a test of EU unity and resolve in the face of a deepening China shock.
0338
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Mark Carney @mark-carney.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Landed in Yerevan, Armenia, for the 8th European Political Community Summit. This is the first time a non-European nation has taken part. Bound by shared values, Canada is working with our European partners to create more certainty, security, and prosperity for all our peoples.
1783946786
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Personeel Fedasil uit scherpe kritiek op beleid minister Van Bossuyt in open brief: "Dagelijkse schendingen van rechtsstaat" vrtnws.be/p.8e6bQwdAG
vrtnws.be
Personeel Fedasil uit scherpe kritiek op beleid minister Van Bossuyt in open brief: "Dagelijkse schendingen van rechtsstaat" | VRT NWS Nieuws
Honderden personeelsleden van Fedasil hebben felle kritiek op het beleid van minister van Asiel en Migratie Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA). Dat blijkt uit een open brief die in De Standaard en Le Soir is...
000
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Edward Elgar Publishing @elgarpublishing.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
New Open Access!🔓📖 Greening the EU and the Rule of Law: Opportunities and Limits of the EU’s Legal Powers Edited by Marjan Peeters, Mariolina Eliantonio, @katikulovesi.bsky.social, and Annalisa Savaresi ❗Read FREE now: doi.org/10.4337/9781... More info: www.e-elgar.com/shop/isbn/97...
142
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be teaching EU trade law at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Together with Dr Chrissopighi Braila from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, I’ll be guiding students through the fascinating intersection of law and economics in EU trade policy.
110
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Diane Swonk @dianeswonk.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The Supreme Court Ruling against legality of over half of tariffs levied last year likely invalidates any “deals” cut by other counties to lower the tariffs.
05513
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Kevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Posted without comment. The USA Supreme Court tariff decision. Weekend reading sorted. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
supremecourt.gov
112
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 20/02/2026
Supreme Court absolutely bodies Trump on IEEPA. Just complete groin kicking. They could have said that IEEPA lets him impose tariffs in an emergency but that this didn't qualify as one of those, or he failed to define one. It didn't. It ruled IEEPA doesn't let him impose tariffs at all.
There is no exception to the major questions doctrine for emergency
statutes. Nor does the fact that tariffs implicate foreign affairs render
the doctrine inapplicable. The Framers gave “Congress alone” the
power to impose tariffs during peacetime. Merritt v. Welsh, 104 U. S.
694, 700. And the foreign affairs implications of tariffs do not make it
any more likely that Congress would relinquish its tariff power
through vague language, or without careful limits. (a) IEEPA authorizes the President to “investigate, block during the
pendency of an investigation, regulate, direct and compel, nullify, void,
prevent or prohibit . . . importation or exportation.” §1702(a)(1)(B).
Absent from this lengthy list of specific powers is any mention of tariffs
or duties. Had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs, it would have done so expressly, as it
consistently has in other tariff statutes.
The power to “regulate . . . importation” does not fill that void. The
term “regulate,” as ordinarily used, means to “fix, establish, or control;
to adjust by rule, method, or established mode; to direct by rule or restriction; to subject to governing principles or laws.” Black’s Law Dictionary 1156. The facial breadth of this definition places in stark relief
what ”regulate” is not usually thought to include: taxation. Many statutes grant the Executive the power to “regulate.” Yet the Government
cannot identify any statute in which the power to regulate includes the
power to tax. The Court is therefore skeptical that in IEEPA—and
IEEPA alone—Congress hid a delegation of its birth-right power to tax
within the quotidian power to “regulate.”
While taxes may accomplish regulatory ends, it does not follow that
the power to regulate includes the power to tax as a means of regulation. Indeed, when Congress addresses both the power to regulate and
the power to tax, it does so separately and expressly. That it did not
do so here is strong evidence that “regulate” in IEEPA does not include
taxation.
281334298
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Sharon 🪳🌹 @sharonk.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
woof, the view from ottawa
Two Canadian officials involved in the U.S. trade discussions, who spoke anonymously to frankly convey their impressions of the state of the talks, said expectations in Ottawa for a full renewal of the U.S.M.C.A. were very low. Mr. Carney’s team, they said, even questions whether it could trust any fresh trade agreements with Mr. Trump.

The Canadian government, they said, is preparing for long, bumpy and dramatic talks with a hostile U.S. administration, and even for a breakup of the U.S.M.C.A. Mr. Trump repeatedly said last year that he wanted Canada to become part of the United States — calling it the 51st state — and that he was prepared to use “economic force” to get the country to heed his wishes.

Mr. Carney was elected last spring on a pledge to stand up to Mr. Trump. He said at the time that the president wanted to “break us so that America can own us.”

Despite some positive interactions between Mr. Trump and Mr. Carney, Canadian officials said they believed that Mr. Trump wanted to weaken Canada economically to force it to give up some protectionist policies it preserved in previous trade talks.
36116
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
‘In het parlement gaf Weyts toe dat de ambitie om de belastingdruk niet te verhogen "niet eenvoudig is en noopt ons tot creativiteit en voorzichtigheid".’ Anders gesteld: de VL regering zoekt naar opties om de Europese vrij verkeersregels te omzeilen. Loyaal is anders. vrtnws.be/p.XEGw7aNGO
vrtnws.be
Moeten we binnenkort wegenvignet kopen om Belgische wegen te gebruiken of steken de Nederlanders er weer een stokje voor? | VRT NWS: nieuws
De Vlaamse en Waalse regering onderhandelen volop over de invoering van een wegenvignet volgend jaar. Op die manier betalen alle automobilisten - ook de buitenlandse - mee voor het onderhoud van onze ...
000
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Very courageous move by the Spanish government. A recognition of the contribution migrants make to the Spanish economy and to Spanish society and, as the catholic church put it: an act of social justice. www.france24.com/en/live-news...
france24.com
Spain to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants
Spain's left-wing government approved Tuesday a plan to regularise around 500,000 undocumented migrants by decree, the country's latest break with harsher policies elsewhere in Europe.
011
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
📢Publication alert 📢 : "Effective judicial protection in the CFSP after KS and KD", published open access in the Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Effective judicial protection in the CFSP after KS and KD - Thomas Verellen, 2026
This paper critically examines the evolving landscape of effective judicial protection within the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) fol...
033
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
“On plurilateral trade, we're championing efforts to build a bridge between the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union, which would create a new trading block of 1.5 billion people.” www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Read Mark Carney's full speech on middle powers navigating a rapidly changing world | CBC News
Read the full text of Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech about a shakeup of the global order and role of middle powers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
030
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
While everybody is busy proclaiming the end of the transatlantic alliance, I thought it was a good moment to write about the potential of closer ties with the EU's other transatlantic partner, Canada.🍁 www.thomasverellen.com/blog/beyond-...
thomasverellen.com
Beyond CETA: The Limits of Bilateralism and the Case for Canada–EU Multilateral Leadership — Thomas Verellen
I will be traveling to Canada’s Pacific coast in a couple of months to attend the bi-annual conference of the Canadian EU studies association. Among other things, I will participate in a panel on EU-C...
0318
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Borderlex @borderlex.net · 14/01/2026
MEPs in trade committee consider postponing a vote to eliminate tariffs on US industrial goods import & quotas for US ag products #Greenland #EUUS By @robfranciseu.bsky.social
f.mtr.cool
EU-US tariff deal faces delay as Trump's Greenland threats anger lawmakers - Borderlex - European trade policy
Leading lawmakers in the European Parliament's trade committee are considering postponing a vote on legislation to eliminate tariffs on US industrial goods and establish import quotas for certain agricultural and seafood products.
1138
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Lots of talk about the end of international law, the death of multilateralism, deglobalization, etc, but here we have Europe and South America creating a huge free trade zone. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/b...
nytimes.com
E.U. and South America to Form Free-Trade Zone With 700 Million People
010
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
The US abducts a head of state — a clear breach of international law. But this isn’t its “death.” States violate the rules, yet far more often they follow them. A legal order should be judged not by headline violations but by everyday compliance.
001
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Dr Juliette McIntyre 🩷💚 🏳️‍🌈 @drnajimagi.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
I think this feels particularly shocking because no matter how much you stretch the law this has absolutely no basis of legality whatsoever. No terrorists, no "threat" requiring anticipatory self defence. Nothing.
1124578
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
#VisitCanada🍁 travel.destinationcanada.com/en-us
travel.destinationcanada.com
Visit Canada | Official Travel Guide & Information | Destination Canada
Home of the True North strong and free, Canada is a wild wonderland of inspiring scenery, incredible experiences, and a vibrant cultural mosaic that spreads from coast to coast to coast.
000
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
"PVV haalt D66 in als grootste partij • Verschil nu 2341 stemmen" Dat klinkt allemaal erg spannend (en Amerikaans), maar NL is een parlementaire democratie. De partijen die een meerderheid van 75+1 vormen in de Tweede Kamer zijn de winnaars. nos.nl/liveblog/258...
nos.nl
PVV haalt D66 in als grootste partij • Verschil nu 2341 stemmen
In dit liveblog lees je het laatste politieke nieuws over de uitslag van de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen.
010
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Grote dag voor Verellen Law: Vanaf deze week huur ik een ruimte in Antwerpen—op een steenworp van het Vlinderpaleis—om cliënten te ontvangen in een comfortabele en gastvrije omgeving. #Migratierecht www.verellenlaw.com
041
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
“placating the far right by adopting far-right policies does not neutralise extremism: it legitimises it and hollows out the union from within. Instead, Europe must actively champion pluralism, the rule of law, open societies and climate action as sources of strength.”
040
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Ben nu ongeveer 30m naar @betrouwbarebronnen.bsky.social aan het luisteren, over de algemene politieke beschouwingen. Het gaat tot nu toe enkel over Wilders, die blijkbaar weer allerlei uitspraken gedaan heeft die je enkel als waanzinnig kan kwalificeren.
100
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Gisteren de laatste aflevering van de docu-miniserie over de Brusselse lagere school Balder gekeken. Onnoemelijk veel respect voor de leerkrachten en andere medewerkers die zich dag in dag uit smijten om de school draaiende te houden in zulke moeilijke omstandigheden.
100
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Canada joining the EU by stealth.
110
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
A few days ago, Commission and European Parliament reached a political agreement on a new framework agreement. Interesting point in the press-release, the agreement contains a 'commitment by the Commission to properly inform Parliament about non-binding international agreements'.
100
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Nice to discover that my blog is being read in the right places: A European Parliament briefing on the Commission's Clean trade and investment partnerships quotes my blog post on the turn to non-binding agreements in EU trade policy. www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etud...
131
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
🚨 on agenda for this Wednesday's meeting of EU Commission: the formal proposal to partly suspend the trade parts of the EU/Israel association agreement (as announced in principle by vdL last week) ec.europa.eu/transparency... (Would need a qualified majority of Member States' ministers to agree)
Screenshot of the relevant agenda item, a proposal for a Council decision suspended some trade provisions of the association agreement
14019
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Utrecht Law Review @utrechtlawreview.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
🚨 New from ULR 2025 General Issue 📘 EU Trade Policy and Transnational Corruption: Leading the Fight for Clean Trade ✍️ By Aleksander Godhe As the EU leans into a more assertive trade policy, this paper asks: Can trade be a tool to fight corruption—without wrecking economic cooperation? 1/6
112
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Au @lemonde.fr, Julien Chaisse critique, à juste titre, l’informatisation de l’action commerciale extérieure de l’UE. Mais il omet une nuance importante : le Parlement européen devra légiférer pour mettre en œuvre le contenu de l’accord. www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
lemonde.fr
« Depuis le retour de Trump, une simple déclaration suffit pour que l’on parle d’accord commercial »
TRIBUNE. Dans une tribune au « Monde », le professeur de droit Julien Chaisse alerte sur la fragilisation du commerce mondial et des pratiques démocratiques, à l’heure où l’Union européenne s’inspire ...
120
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
EU Commission suggests negotiating digital trade agreement with Canada - ec.europa.eu/transparency... Also proposal to sign and conclude digital trade agreement with South Korea - ec.europa.eu/transparency...
ec.europa.eu
Register of Commission Documents
0189
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Utrecht Law Review @utrechtlawreview.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
📢 Publication Alert: The 2025 General Issue Is Available! 📢 Read the full issue here: utrechtlawreview.org/62/volume/21...
021
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
📢 New blog post ✒️ on a legislative proposal adopted by the Commission just before summer: a ban on Russian gas imports into the EU. What’s striking? The legal basis: trade, not CFSP. www.thomasverellen.com/blog/commiss...
thomasverellen.com
Commission Proposal to Ban Russian Gas Further Blurs Trade and Security Competences — Thomas Verellen
On 17 June 2025, the European Commision adopted a legislative proposal to ban Russian gas imports into the EU. The proposal had a dual legal basis: Article 207 TFEU, concerning trade policy, and Artic...
083
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Nagels met koppen in De Standaard. Echter: dat Mahdi jarenlang zelf een discriminerend beleid heeft verdedigd, maakt de beslissing om De Crem te sanctioneren niet minder terecht—eerder des te noodzakelijker. www.standaard.be/opinies/wat-...
standaard.be
Wat is eigenlijk het verschil tussen het beleid van Pieter De Crem en wat Nicole de Moor jarenlang deed?
Pieter De Crem kleurde buiten de lijntjes van de wet, zei Sammy Mahdi, en kon daarom geen burgemeester blijven. Maar is het politiek niet juist stoer geworden om, over asiel en migratie, de wet naast zich neer te leggen?
000
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Géopolitique @geopolitique.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
Etats-Unis / La plupart des tarifs douaniers mondiaux imposés par Trump ne sont pas légaux, selon la cour d'appel fédérale
axios.com
Federal appellate court upholds ruling striking down Trump's tariffs
A trade court ruled in May that Trump did not have the authority to impose broad global tariffs.
54024
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
John Cotter @drjohncotter.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
My latest article ‘Democracy Manifest? Ensuring the EU Legislature’s Democratic Legitimacy in the Face of National-Level Autocratisation’ has just been published online and open access in European Papers: www.europeanpapers.eu/en/system/fi...
europeanpapers.eu
4148
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Arthur Leichthammer @aleichthammer.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
While it's getting a little repetitive it also makes my work easier: tariff negotiations with Trump are not a one-time occasion and there is no certainty for agreed upon "deals".
0106
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Just got round to watching Mario Draghi's speech in Rimini in the original Italian. It is easily the most important speech on Europe so far this year and I hope someone (@grandcontinent.bsky.social?‬) publishes it in English and other EU languages soon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMME...
youtube.com
Mario Draghi’s Full Speech: Europe’s Harsh Reality — Powerless on the Global Stage! -ITALIAN-
YouTube video by EU Debates | eudebates.tv
19343131
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Happening right in front of us
821335462
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Glad to see @politico.eu picked up on my cri de coeur last week regarding the Belgian embassy’s refusal to accept my client’s humanitarian visa application from Gaza via email. www.politico.eu/article/belg...
politico.eu
Belgium’s ‘Kafkaesque’ visa policy has ‘devastating’ consequences in Gaza, lawyers warn
People in Gaza wanting a humanitarian visa from Belgium are being told to apply in Jerusalem or Cairo.
020
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
“Sinds 1948 zijn alle landen volgens internationaal recht verplicht om een vermeende genocide te helpen voorkomen dan wel te stoppen. Ook België.”
051
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Als migratieadvocaat sta ik nu en dan asielzoekers bij die na aankomst in België op straat belanden, zonder bed, bad of brood. De situatie is schrijnend. nos.nl/artikel/2576...
nos.nl
Alleenstaande asielzoekers niet teruggestuurd naar falend Belgisch opvangsysteem
Door "systeemfalen" in de Belgische opvang is er risico op schending van de mensenrechten.
110
Reposted by Thomas Verellen
Utrecht Law Review @utrechtlawreview.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
🎓 As the academic year at Utrecht University wraps up, we at ULR want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the incredible team of LLM student editors who supported our editorial process for the upcoming general issue. 1/3
121
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
It won’t be long before Trump threatens with tariffs to coerce the EU to change its internal policies. Think of the DMA or even the VAT rules. Economic coercion plain and simple. Will the EU use the anti-coercion instrument to retaliate?
010
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
My take on Canada rescinding its digital services tax: Carney did not like the tax in the first place, and Trump's threat gave Carney the political opportunity to abolish it. Whether that's wise in the long run, I don't know, but the narrative of 'Carney caves to Trump' misses part of the story.
010
Thomas Verellen @tverellen.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
The question just refuses to go away. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Canada isn't looking to join EU, Carney says, but still wants closer ties | CBC News
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is “looking for a closer partnership” with the European Union — but not to become a member.
000