Law Blogs Maastricht

Every October 18, the EU marks its Anti-Trafficking Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness for human trafficking and its impact on victims and societies. In this blog – which draws from our article recently published in the 76^th special edition of Cahiers Politiestudies exploring the financial side of crime – we adopt a dual legal-sociological lens to explore how this hidden offense can be made more visible. We make the case for law enforcement and banks to proactively join forces, while highlighting some of the tensions that can arise in such partnerships and the need to address them explicitly if these initiatives are to reach their full potential.

Due to an increasing number of climate-related events, for example more frequent floods, climate change has become a topic that almost everyone around the world cares about. To mitigate climate change, regions and countries worldwide, for example the EU, California, China, Japan, and Korea, are now using Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Trading Schemes (ETSs). In particular, from 2013 to 2014, China gradually established seven pilot ETSs, including those in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Tianjin, Hubei, and Chongqing. In 2016 and 2021, respectively, the Fujian pilot ETS and the national ETS were put into operation. Most notably, the national ETS, which started in the power-generation sector, has become the largest in the world in terms of covered CO2 emissions. China’s active efforts to reduce GHG emissions are a response to its significant emissions. China has been the world’s largest GHG emitter since 2009, due to its past extensive economic growth model.

From 10–12 September, I joined the 20th Annual Conference of the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association (EPIP) in Antwerp, a lively gathering of scholars exploring the intersections of intellectual property (IP), innovation and policy. For me, it was a chance to present my paper and to join the PhD Workshop, sharing my research and exchanging ideas with fellow doctoral students and senior professors. My research project looks at a cutting-edge and pressing question: how can IP law help or hinder the use of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) to secure our food future?

Everyone learns by attending academic events where best practices prevail. There is value in observing the work of experts and in being exposed to different ideas that can serve as models. After all, participants–both active and passive–can benefit from following an academic etiquette that helps secure the development of ideas and the nurturing of enriching social and academic behaviours

On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down its much anticipated Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. This case represents the highest example of climate litigation to date, with the Court joining numerous other international courts and tribunals which have examined states’ obligations with regard to their activities in the field of climate. This blog will review the Court’s key considerations in this extensive Advisory Opinion.