European law
Inhoud
Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2. The creation of a European Union ............................................................................................... 5
I. The European Communities ................................................................................................................... 5
The Council of Europe ................................................................................................................................... 5
The first European Community: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) ................ 6
The European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) ................................................................... 7
The European Economic Community (EEC) ........................................................................................... 7
II. The development of the European Economic Community (EEC) ............................................. 8
The Merger Treaty 1965................................................................................................................................ 8
The Luxembourg Accords 1966 ................................................................................................................. 8
The Single European Act 1986 ................................................................................................................... 9
Treaty of Maastricht...................................................................................................................................... 10
Treaty of Amsterdam (ToA) ....................................................................................................................... 10
Treaty of Nice 2000....................................................................................................................................... 11
Convention on the future of Europe (a draft constitution for Europe) ..................................... 12
The Treaty of Lisbon 2009 .......................................................................................................................... 12
The Fiscal Compact Treaty (FCT) .............................................................................................................. 13
Enlargement .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 3. Who runs the EU? ............................................................................................................................. 14
I. Power sharing in the EU ......................................................................................................................... 14
Federalism, supranationalism and intergovernmentalism ............................................................. 15
Principles of subsidiarity and proportionality ..................................................................................... 16
II. The institutional structure of the EU.................................................................................................. 17
European Parliament .................................................................................................................................... 17
The European Council .................................................................................................................................. 19
The Council ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
The Commission ............................................................................................................................................ 21
The Court of Justice of the EU .................................................................................................................. 23
The European Central Bank (ECB) ........................................................................................................... 24
The Court of Auditors .................................................................................................................................. 24
Other Community bodies ........................................................................................................................... 25
1
, III. Institutional balance, accountability and democracy in the EU .......................................... 25
Chapter 4. Sources of law .................................................................................................................................... 27
I. Primary sources of EU law ..................................................................................................................... 28
II. Secondary sources of EU law................................................................................................................ 30
III. Case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union ...................................................... 32
IV. General principles of Union law...................................................................................................... 32
V. International agreements ...................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 5. Relationship between Union law and national legal systems.......................................... 34
I. The doctrines of direct effect and supremacy ............................................................................... 34
Chapter 6. Enforcing Union law ........................................................................................................................ 37
I. Enforcing EU law rights before national courts ............................................................................. 37
Chapter 7. Free movement of goods .............................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 8. An introduction to EU competition law ................................................................................... 40
History .................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Competition law ................................................................................................................................................. 41
Chapter 9. Free movement of persons ........................................................................................................... 48
2
,Abbreviations
AG Advocate-General
Art Article
CCT Common Customs Tariff
CFI Court of First Instance (now: General Court)
CHEE charge having equivalent effect to a customs duty
CJEU Court of Justice of the European Union (was ECJ)
CMLR Common Market Law Review
CoA Court of Auditors
CoR Committee of Regions
COREPER Committee of Permanent Representatives
DAM distinctly applicable measure
DG Directorate-General
EC European Community/ European Council
ECB European Central Bank
ECHR European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms
ECJ European Court of Justice (now: CJEU)
ECSC European Coal and Steel Community
ECtHR European Court of Human Rights
EEC European Economic Community
EIB European Investment Bank
EMU European Monetary Union
EP European Parliament
ESC Economic and Social Committee
ESCB European System of Central Banks
ET employment tribunal
EU European Union
EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community
FCT Fiscal Compact Treaty
GBER General Block Exemption Regulation
GC General Court (was: CFI)
IDAM indistinctly applicable measure
IGC intergovernmental conference
IPR intellectual property right
MEP Member of the European Parliament
MHEE measure having equivalent effect
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
OJ Official Journal
QMV qualified majority voting
QR quantitative restriction
RGM relevant geographical market
RPM relevant product market
SEA Single European Act (1986)
TEC European Community Treaty
TEU Treaty on European Union 1992 (Maastricht Treaty)
TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
3
, ToA Treaty of Amsterdam 1997
ToN Treaty of Nice 2000
TSCG Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and
Monetary Union
Chapter 1. Introduction
The EU law is a source of law, not a branch of law (but it covers all branches of law). There a
lot of substantial European laws
The EU law is national law. If there is a conflict between EU law and national law, EU law will
take over national law → EU law > national law
The European Economic Community (EEC) is created by the Treaty of Rome.
The EEC changed into the European Community (EC) by the Maastricht Treaty. The
competences are bigger, so the ‘economic’ is gone.
The EC then becomes known as the European Union (EU) by the Treaty of Lisbon. So now, all
contemporary references should now be the to the EU and it is only when a historical
perspective is being taken that the EEC or EC should be used.
Treaty of Rome → 1957
Treaty of Maastricht → 1992
Treaty of Lisbon → 2007 (came into force in 2009)
Overview of the topics:
4
Inhoud
Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2. The creation of a European Union ............................................................................................... 5
I. The European Communities ................................................................................................................... 5
The Council of Europe ................................................................................................................................... 5
The first European Community: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) ................ 6
The European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) ................................................................... 7
The European Economic Community (EEC) ........................................................................................... 7
II. The development of the European Economic Community (EEC) ............................................. 8
The Merger Treaty 1965................................................................................................................................ 8
The Luxembourg Accords 1966 ................................................................................................................. 8
The Single European Act 1986 ................................................................................................................... 9
Treaty of Maastricht...................................................................................................................................... 10
Treaty of Amsterdam (ToA) ....................................................................................................................... 10
Treaty of Nice 2000....................................................................................................................................... 11
Convention on the future of Europe (a draft constitution for Europe) ..................................... 12
The Treaty of Lisbon 2009 .......................................................................................................................... 12
The Fiscal Compact Treaty (FCT) .............................................................................................................. 13
Enlargement .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 3. Who runs the EU? ............................................................................................................................. 14
I. Power sharing in the EU ......................................................................................................................... 14
Federalism, supranationalism and intergovernmentalism ............................................................. 15
Principles of subsidiarity and proportionality ..................................................................................... 16
II. The institutional structure of the EU.................................................................................................. 17
European Parliament .................................................................................................................................... 17
The European Council .................................................................................................................................. 19
The Council ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
The Commission ............................................................................................................................................ 21
The Court of Justice of the EU .................................................................................................................. 23
The European Central Bank (ECB) ........................................................................................................... 24
The Court of Auditors .................................................................................................................................. 24
Other Community bodies ........................................................................................................................... 25
1
, III. Institutional balance, accountability and democracy in the EU .......................................... 25
Chapter 4. Sources of law .................................................................................................................................... 27
I. Primary sources of EU law ..................................................................................................................... 28
II. Secondary sources of EU law................................................................................................................ 30
III. Case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union ...................................................... 32
IV. General principles of Union law...................................................................................................... 32
V. International agreements ...................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 5. Relationship between Union law and national legal systems.......................................... 34
I. The doctrines of direct effect and supremacy ............................................................................... 34
Chapter 6. Enforcing Union law ........................................................................................................................ 37
I. Enforcing EU law rights before national courts ............................................................................. 37
Chapter 7. Free movement of goods .............................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 8. An introduction to EU competition law ................................................................................... 40
History .................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Competition law ................................................................................................................................................. 41
Chapter 9. Free movement of persons ........................................................................................................... 48
2
,Abbreviations
AG Advocate-General
Art Article
CCT Common Customs Tariff
CFI Court of First Instance (now: General Court)
CHEE charge having equivalent effect to a customs duty
CJEU Court of Justice of the European Union (was ECJ)
CMLR Common Market Law Review
CoA Court of Auditors
CoR Committee of Regions
COREPER Committee of Permanent Representatives
DAM distinctly applicable measure
DG Directorate-General
EC European Community/ European Council
ECB European Central Bank
ECHR European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms
ECJ European Court of Justice (now: CJEU)
ECSC European Coal and Steel Community
ECtHR European Court of Human Rights
EEC European Economic Community
EIB European Investment Bank
EMU European Monetary Union
EP European Parliament
ESC Economic and Social Committee
ESCB European System of Central Banks
ET employment tribunal
EU European Union
EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community
FCT Fiscal Compact Treaty
GBER General Block Exemption Regulation
GC General Court (was: CFI)
IDAM indistinctly applicable measure
IGC intergovernmental conference
IPR intellectual property right
MEP Member of the European Parliament
MHEE measure having equivalent effect
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
OJ Official Journal
QMV qualified majority voting
QR quantitative restriction
RGM relevant geographical market
RPM relevant product market
SEA Single European Act (1986)
TEC European Community Treaty
TEU Treaty on European Union 1992 (Maastricht Treaty)
TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
3
, ToA Treaty of Amsterdam 1997
ToN Treaty of Nice 2000
TSCG Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and
Monetary Union
Chapter 1. Introduction
The EU law is a source of law, not a branch of law (but it covers all branches of law). There a
lot of substantial European laws
The EU law is national law. If there is a conflict between EU law and national law, EU law will
take over national law → EU law > national law
The European Economic Community (EEC) is created by the Treaty of Rome.
The EEC changed into the European Community (EC) by the Maastricht Treaty. The
competences are bigger, so the ‘economic’ is gone.
The EC then becomes known as the European Union (EU) by the Treaty of Lisbon. So now, all
contemporary references should now be the to the EU and it is only when a historical
perspective is being taken that the EEC or EC should be used.
Treaty of Rome → 1957
Treaty of Maastricht → 1992
Treaty of Lisbon → 2007 (came into force in 2009)
Overview of the topics:
4
