Chapter 1: Introduction
EU law -> transposed into national law
EU treaties
• TEU
• TFEU primary EU law
• Charter of fundamental rights of EU (CFREU)
not included, but added to the treaties
≈ constitution of EU but 3 parts
Secondary union law
• Regulations
• Directives
• Decisions
• Recommendations
TEU & TFEU -> consolidated treaties (it has changed over the years)
27 member states
EU law
= a source of law
≠ a branch of law
always primacy over national law, even over national constitutions -> at the top of the
hierarchy
In the ’50: European economic community EU (almost every branch of law is covered)
EU law: part of national law
conflict between EU law & national law -> they have to apply EU law
all national courts have to apply EU law -> not all the judges know everything about EU
law -> can send a question & the court of Luxemburg will send the interpretation & the
judges need to apply that interpretation
EU constitutional law <-> EU substantive law
very extensive
History
EEC -> EC -> EU
(European economic community) (European community) (European union)
Treaty of Rome Treaty of Maastricht Treaty of Lisbon
National courts: actually EU courts
,“The EU is far more integrated in the Member States than the Member States are integrated
in the EU”
Chapter 2: The creation of the European Union
Historical evolution
The history consists of 2 processes
• deepening
steadily more & more competences were given to EU & are taken away from MS
every branch of law
- supranational path
independent institutions can make secondary union law independent from the MS
- intergovernmental path
MS wanted to keep their veto right for certain branches
they could move to supranational
• enlargement from 6 MS (Belgium, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Italie &
Germany) to 28 MS (since Brexit 27 MS)
The first treaties
Victor Hugo
“A day will come when all the nations of this continent, without losing their distinct qualities
or their glorious individuality, will fuse together in a higher unity and form of European
brotherhood.
A day will come when the only battlefield will be the marketplace for competing ideas.
A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes.”
ultimate aim of EU
United diversity (motto -> symbol of EU)
they should respect the individuality of MS
Aim: to have peace & stability on the continent
Art. 3, §1 TEU -> aim of EU
Pioneers
• Konrad Adenauer: first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
• Simone Veil: Holocaust survivor, French magistrate & stateswoman who served as Health
Minister in several governments & was President of the European Parliament
• Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of the UK
• Alcide De Gasperi: Christian Democratic Prime Minister of Italy in 8 successive coalition
governments
• Robert Schuman: French Foreign Minister
• Jean Monnet: a senior French civil servant
,Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech
still very actual
Early forms of cooperation
• 1948: Organisation for European Economic Cooperation: to oversee Marshall Plan (since
1961 OECD, now 34 MS)
• 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO, now 29 MS)
• 1949: Council of Europe (now 47 MS)
- European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
- European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
In the future: if you think your fundamental rights are harmed bcs of EU -> Staatsburg
The first Treaties
USA + UK pushed a lot to integrate -> this led to Franco-German conciliation
Treaty of Paris: very detailed -> bcs new experience
2 Treaties of Rome
if 1 was not ratified, maybe the other will -> bcs atomic energy: source of the future
Crises: also opportunities
, Schuman Declaration 9 May 1950
Europe day -> bcs considered as start of the EU
still in the treaties as a symbol
Declaration 52: symbols EU
Idea: step by step they would go further
Coal & steel: to integrate that market & take away from the MS
more & more MS want to cooperate
sense of common purpose
First: German market & French market
Second: common market with independent institutions -> pooling
EU law -> transposed into national law
EU treaties
• TEU
• TFEU primary EU law
• Charter of fundamental rights of EU (CFREU)
not included, but added to the treaties
≈ constitution of EU but 3 parts
Secondary union law
• Regulations
• Directives
• Decisions
• Recommendations
TEU & TFEU -> consolidated treaties (it has changed over the years)
27 member states
EU law
= a source of law
≠ a branch of law
always primacy over national law, even over national constitutions -> at the top of the
hierarchy
In the ’50: European economic community EU (almost every branch of law is covered)
EU law: part of national law
conflict between EU law & national law -> they have to apply EU law
all national courts have to apply EU law -> not all the judges know everything about EU
law -> can send a question & the court of Luxemburg will send the interpretation & the
judges need to apply that interpretation
EU constitutional law <-> EU substantive law
very extensive
History
EEC -> EC -> EU
(European economic community) (European community) (European union)
Treaty of Rome Treaty of Maastricht Treaty of Lisbon
National courts: actually EU courts
,“The EU is far more integrated in the Member States than the Member States are integrated
in the EU”
Chapter 2: The creation of the European Union
Historical evolution
The history consists of 2 processes
• deepening
steadily more & more competences were given to EU & are taken away from MS
every branch of law
- supranational path
independent institutions can make secondary union law independent from the MS
- intergovernmental path
MS wanted to keep their veto right for certain branches
they could move to supranational
• enlargement from 6 MS (Belgium, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Italie &
Germany) to 28 MS (since Brexit 27 MS)
The first treaties
Victor Hugo
“A day will come when all the nations of this continent, without losing their distinct qualities
or their glorious individuality, will fuse together in a higher unity and form of European
brotherhood.
A day will come when the only battlefield will be the marketplace for competing ideas.
A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes.”
ultimate aim of EU
United diversity (motto -> symbol of EU)
they should respect the individuality of MS
Aim: to have peace & stability on the continent
Art. 3, §1 TEU -> aim of EU
Pioneers
• Konrad Adenauer: first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
• Simone Veil: Holocaust survivor, French magistrate & stateswoman who served as Health
Minister in several governments & was President of the European Parliament
• Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of the UK
• Alcide De Gasperi: Christian Democratic Prime Minister of Italy in 8 successive coalition
governments
• Robert Schuman: French Foreign Minister
• Jean Monnet: a senior French civil servant
,Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech
still very actual
Early forms of cooperation
• 1948: Organisation for European Economic Cooperation: to oversee Marshall Plan (since
1961 OECD, now 34 MS)
• 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO, now 29 MS)
• 1949: Council of Europe (now 47 MS)
- European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
- European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
In the future: if you think your fundamental rights are harmed bcs of EU -> Staatsburg
The first Treaties
USA + UK pushed a lot to integrate -> this led to Franco-German conciliation
Treaty of Paris: very detailed -> bcs new experience
2 Treaties of Rome
if 1 was not ratified, maybe the other will -> bcs atomic energy: source of the future
Crises: also opportunities
, Schuman Declaration 9 May 1950
Europe day -> bcs considered as start of the EU
still in the treaties as a symbol
Declaration 52: symbols EU
Idea: step by step they would go further
Coal & steel: to integrate that market & take away from the MS
more & more MS want to cooperate
sense of common purpose
First: German market & French market
Second: common market with independent institutions -> pooling
