Dear reader

• Author: Gaabriel Tavits
• Pages: 2-2

1

JURIDICA INTERNATIONAL 27/2018

Dear reader,

It is not uncommon to encounter a situation in which one must admit that under-

standings of many legal situations are varied. On the one hand, everything might

appear simple and clear; however, when one delves a bit further into the specif‌i cs of

a particular legal regulation, the landscape may turn out to be much more complex,

and perceptions change. Legal regulation leaves room for di erent understandings

and interpretations. Although the legislator’s goal is to ensure legal regulation that

is as precise as possible, there are always some gaps that need to be f‌i lled through

either analogy or interpretation. Also, case law and the positions of legal profession-

als have an important role to play in the understanding of legal regulation and in

application of the law. Alongside analysis of the bottlenecks found in the current

law, historical experience should not be overlooked either. The dissection of a legal

situation in the past, one long forgotten, may o er us an unexpected and necessary

solution for applicable legislation. Accordingly, studying and analysing historical

experiences is necessary and justif‌i ed in every way.

This issue o ers broad-based analysis of various modern legal problems and

their solutions, from a wealth of perspectives. It should be noted here that non-

lawyers too can be of great help in interpreting legal issues. One good example can

be seen in the article ‘Interpretation of Undef‌i ned Legal Concepts and Fulf‌i lling of

Legal Gaps, in Jüri Lotman’s Semiotic Framework’, on the potential impact of this

globally esteemed semiotics luminary’s legacy with regard to legal interpretation.

Legal issues are present in all facets of life. Generalised approaches to various legal

issues are addressed in the following papers, among others: ‘(Just) Give Me a Reason’,

‘The General Data Protection Regulation and its Violation of EU Treaties’, and ‘Cur-

rent Challenges of the Labour Law of Ukraine: On the Way to European Integration’.

The journal’s content is enriched further with approaches to specif‌i c legal issues

that are relevant for understanding various legal f‌i elds and when one is generalis-

ing. Some pieces that make this contribution are ‘Shareholders’ Draft Resolutions in

Estonian Company Law: An Example of Unreasonable Transposition of the Share-

holder Rights Directive’, ‘Which Adverse Environmental Impacts of an Economic

Activity Are Legally Acceptable and on What Conditions’, and ‘Digital Inheritance:

Heirs’ Right to Claim Access to Online Accounts under Estonian Law’. These analy-

ses demonstrate the role of lawyers in explaining and interpreting various legislative

gaps for the purpose of establishing legal clarity.

We have commented on the vital role of historical experience in legal analysis.

In this regard, the following articles o er further insight: ‘Limitation of Freedom of

Speech and of the Press by Penal Law in the Final Decades of the Russian Empire’

and ‘Land Reform and the Principle of Legal Certainty: The Practice of the Supreme

Court of Estonia in 1918–1933’.

In addition to the works highlighted above, the reader will f‌i nd several other top-

ical, intriguing, and discussion-sparking articles. For example, one addresses a topic

that is rarely discussed – dignity at the end of life and analysis of the related ethical,

legal, and social arguments. All this only goes to show the diversity of opinions in the

legal world.

We wish you pleasant reading and thinking along!

Gaabriel Tavits

Professor of Social Law

https://doi.org/10.12697/JI.2018.27.00