European Union law
Inhoudsopgave
I. The foundations of the European Union legal order...........................................................................3
A. Principles and values guiding the process of European integration...............................................3
B. Different models of regional integration........................................................................................4
1. Integration may have different ‘ranges’.....................................................................................4
2. The choice of ‘range’ depends upon the objectives identified...................................................5
3. Integration may operate in different ways.................................................................................5
4. The choice of tools also depends upon the objectives identified...............................................5
C. Reforms of ‘constitutional’ importance for the EU legal order (history EU)...................................6
1. Introduction to constitutional reform at EU level.......................................................................6
2. From Zurich to Lisbon.................................................................................................................6
3. Terminology and numbering.....................................................................................................10
D. The ‘Constitutional Charter’: the EU Treaties...............................................................................11
1. Legal orders defined by ‘the Treaties’ themselves....................................................................11
2. A legal order shaped by the Court of Justice of the EU.............................................................12
3. A legal order subject to change................................................................................................12
II. The actors of the EU integration process..........................................................................................13
A. The high contracting parties and their constituencies..................................................................13
1. Member states..........................................................................................................................13
2. EU citizens.................................................................................................................................15
B. The EU institutions........................................................................................................................16
1. The European Parliament.........................................................................................................16
2. The European Council...............................................................................................................20
3. The Council (of the EU).............................................................................................................23
4. The European Commission.......................................................................................................25
5. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)..................................................................28
6. The European Central Bank (ECB).............................................................................................30
7. The Court of Auditors...............................................................................................................30
8. Union’s advisory bodies............................................................................................................30
C. Beyond EU states and institutions?..............................................................................................31
1. The EU, an actor as such...........................................................................................................31
2. Third states...............................................................................................................................31
1
, 3. International organisations.......................................................................................................31
4. EU members states’ actions outside of the EU-treaties............................................................31
D. Conclusion....................................................................................................................................31
III. The normative function of the European Union..............................................................................32
A. The original source of EU: primary law.........................................................................................32
1. The EU treaties as the starting point.........................................................................................32
2. The policies of the EU...............................................................................................................32
B. Defining the existence of an EU competence...............................................................................32
1. The principal of conferral..........................................................................................................32
2. The choice of legal basis...........................................................................................................32
3. The types of EU competences...................................................................................................34
C. Level, necessity & extent of EU intervention................................................................................35
1. Subsidiarity...............................................................................................................................35
2. Proportionality..........................................................................................................................36
3. Mainstreaming duties...............................................................................................................36
D. Overview of the sources of EU legal constraints..........................................................................36
1. Primary law & rules having a high rank in the EU legal order...................................................36
2. Secondary law...........................................................................................................................37
3. Tertiary law...............................................................................................................................38
4. Other specific sources of law relevant for the EU legal order...................................................38
5. EU legal acts: a nomenclature...................................................................................................39
E. The dynamics of the EU legal order: examples from the rules on free movement in the EU.......40
IV. The exercise of the normative function of the EU...........................................................................40
A. Internal decision making..............................................................................................................40
1. Legislative procedures..............................................................................................................40
2. Non-legislative procedures.......................................................................................................42
3. The special case of the EU budgetary procedure......................................................................44
B. External decision making..............................................................................................................44
C. Differentiated decision-making....................................................................................................44
V. The unique nature of the EU legal order..........................................................................................44
A. The EU legal order is ‘integrated’ in that of the MS.....................................................................44
1. The principle of primacy and its derivatives.............................................................................44
2. The principle of direct effect.....................................................................................................46
B. EU legal order is developing special relationships with international legal orders.......................48
1. 3 types of international agreements interact in various ways with the EU legal order............48
2. The unique position of the EU legal order cuts across the various settings (examples)............49
2
, C. The EU possesses a remarkable implantation & enforcement machinery....................................49
1. Decentralised implementation & enforcement tools...............................................................49
2. Centralised monitoring under Commission & CJEU..................................................................49
D. The EU legal order ought to comply with the rule of law & fundamental rights..........................52
1. The rule of law in the EU...........................................................................................................52
2. Judicial enforcement of the rule of law for the Union itself.....................................................53
3. Political monitoring of the Rule of Law within the Union.........................................................55
I. The foundations of the European Union legal order
A. Principles and values guiding the process of European integration
1. The EU seeks to achieve ‘an ever closer union among the people of
Europe’ (art 1(2) TEU)
3
, - the UK doesn’t want this but the other member states work together to achieve this
- by this the EU wants to avoid a third world war
- how to achieve this? having a bunch of principles
- art 4(2) TEU: equality of member states idea is to coexist nicely together and respect
their national identities
- art 4(3) TEU: principle of sincere cooperation between the Union and the Member states
- idea that the member states have to keep in mind the interest of the EU at
everything they do (the same for the EU)
- principle of good faith (keep a fair balance between the interests)
- art 13(2) TEU: principle of sincere cooperation between EU institutions (same as above)
2. The EU is founded on a system of values (art 2 TEU)
- they not always have a clear definition (eg. also equal treatment of gay men?)
- some of the most important values are explained elsewhere not a full definition but elements
- provision on democratic principles = art 11 TEU: openness, transparency & dialogue
- provision on non-discrimination between persons = art 9 TEU, art 18(1) TFEU, EU
directives
- instruments to give flesh to these values:
- art 6(1) TEU: Charter of fundamental rights of the EU
- art 6(2) TEU: European Convention for the Protection of Human rights and Fundamental
freedoms
- art 6(3) TEU: general principles of the EU-law
- when states of institutions act they have to do this with respect for the values
The EU is founded on these values and the values are common to the Member States
- art 49(1) TEU: any European State which respects the values referred to in art 2 TEU and is
committed to promoting them, may apply to become a member of the Union on paper =
every member respects the values (eg. UK has an exception on the euro)
- but lately not all members respect them (eg. Poland, Catalonia)
- when you are a member there is not much to monitor if you respect the values the only
mechanism = art 7 TEU
mechanisms where there is a risk of a serious breach of existence of a
serious and persistent breach by a member state of the values
B. Different models of regional integration
1. Integration may have different ‘ranges’
- integration = the level where different governments come together to integrate and work
together
- the 2 extremes:
4
Inhoudsopgave
I. The foundations of the European Union legal order...........................................................................3
A. Principles and values guiding the process of European integration...............................................3
B. Different models of regional integration........................................................................................4
1. Integration may have different ‘ranges’.....................................................................................4
2. The choice of ‘range’ depends upon the objectives identified...................................................5
3. Integration may operate in different ways.................................................................................5
4. The choice of tools also depends upon the objectives identified...............................................5
C. Reforms of ‘constitutional’ importance for the EU legal order (history EU)...................................6
1. Introduction to constitutional reform at EU level.......................................................................6
2. From Zurich to Lisbon.................................................................................................................6
3. Terminology and numbering.....................................................................................................10
D. The ‘Constitutional Charter’: the EU Treaties...............................................................................11
1. Legal orders defined by ‘the Treaties’ themselves....................................................................11
2. A legal order shaped by the Court of Justice of the EU.............................................................12
3. A legal order subject to change................................................................................................12
II. The actors of the EU integration process..........................................................................................13
A. The high contracting parties and their constituencies..................................................................13
1. Member states..........................................................................................................................13
2. EU citizens.................................................................................................................................15
B. The EU institutions........................................................................................................................16
1. The European Parliament.........................................................................................................16
2. The European Council...............................................................................................................20
3. The Council (of the EU).............................................................................................................23
4. The European Commission.......................................................................................................25
5. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)..................................................................28
6. The European Central Bank (ECB).............................................................................................30
7. The Court of Auditors...............................................................................................................30
8. Union’s advisory bodies............................................................................................................30
C. Beyond EU states and institutions?..............................................................................................31
1. The EU, an actor as such...........................................................................................................31
2. Third states...............................................................................................................................31
1
, 3. International organisations.......................................................................................................31
4. EU members states’ actions outside of the EU-treaties............................................................31
D. Conclusion....................................................................................................................................31
III. The normative function of the European Union..............................................................................32
A. The original source of EU: primary law.........................................................................................32
1. The EU treaties as the starting point.........................................................................................32
2. The policies of the EU...............................................................................................................32
B. Defining the existence of an EU competence...............................................................................32
1. The principal of conferral..........................................................................................................32
2. The choice of legal basis...........................................................................................................32
3. The types of EU competences...................................................................................................34
C. Level, necessity & extent of EU intervention................................................................................35
1. Subsidiarity...............................................................................................................................35
2. Proportionality..........................................................................................................................36
3. Mainstreaming duties...............................................................................................................36
D. Overview of the sources of EU legal constraints..........................................................................36
1. Primary law & rules having a high rank in the EU legal order...................................................36
2. Secondary law...........................................................................................................................37
3. Tertiary law...............................................................................................................................38
4. Other specific sources of law relevant for the EU legal order...................................................38
5. EU legal acts: a nomenclature...................................................................................................39
E. The dynamics of the EU legal order: examples from the rules on free movement in the EU.......40
IV. The exercise of the normative function of the EU...........................................................................40
A. Internal decision making..............................................................................................................40
1. Legislative procedures..............................................................................................................40
2. Non-legislative procedures.......................................................................................................42
3. The special case of the EU budgetary procedure......................................................................44
B. External decision making..............................................................................................................44
C. Differentiated decision-making....................................................................................................44
V. The unique nature of the EU legal order..........................................................................................44
A. The EU legal order is ‘integrated’ in that of the MS.....................................................................44
1. The principle of primacy and its derivatives.............................................................................44
2. The principle of direct effect.....................................................................................................46
B. EU legal order is developing special relationships with international legal orders.......................48
1. 3 types of international agreements interact in various ways with the EU legal order............48
2. The unique position of the EU legal order cuts across the various settings (examples)............49
2
, C. The EU possesses a remarkable implantation & enforcement machinery....................................49
1. Decentralised implementation & enforcement tools...............................................................49
2. Centralised monitoring under Commission & CJEU..................................................................49
D. The EU legal order ought to comply with the rule of law & fundamental rights..........................52
1. The rule of law in the EU...........................................................................................................52
2. Judicial enforcement of the rule of law for the Union itself.....................................................53
3. Political monitoring of the Rule of Law within the Union.........................................................55
I. The foundations of the European Union legal order
A. Principles and values guiding the process of European integration
1. The EU seeks to achieve ‘an ever closer union among the people of
Europe’ (art 1(2) TEU)
3
, - the UK doesn’t want this but the other member states work together to achieve this
- by this the EU wants to avoid a third world war
- how to achieve this? having a bunch of principles
- art 4(2) TEU: equality of member states idea is to coexist nicely together and respect
their national identities
- art 4(3) TEU: principle of sincere cooperation between the Union and the Member states
- idea that the member states have to keep in mind the interest of the EU at
everything they do (the same for the EU)
- principle of good faith (keep a fair balance between the interests)
- art 13(2) TEU: principle of sincere cooperation between EU institutions (same as above)
2. The EU is founded on a system of values (art 2 TEU)
- they not always have a clear definition (eg. also equal treatment of gay men?)
- some of the most important values are explained elsewhere not a full definition but elements
- provision on democratic principles = art 11 TEU: openness, transparency & dialogue
- provision on non-discrimination between persons = art 9 TEU, art 18(1) TFEU, EU
directives
- instruments to give flesh to these values:
- art 6(1) TEU: Charter of fundamental rights of the EU
- art 6(2) TEU: European Convention for the Protection of Human rights and Fundamental
freedoms
- art 6(3) TEU: general principles of the EU-law
- when states of institutions act they have to do this with respect for the values
The EU is founded on these values and the values are common to the Member States
- art 49(1) TEU: any European State which respects the values referred to in art 2 TEU and is
committed to promoting them, may apply to become a member of the Union on paper =
every member respects the values (eg. UK has an exception on the euro)
- but lately not all members respect them (eg. Poland, Catalonia)
- when you are a member there is not much to monitor if you respect the values the only
mechanism = art 7 TEU
mechanisms where there is a risk of a serious breach of existence of a
serious and persistent breach by a member state of the values
B. Different models of regional integration
1. Integration may have different ‘ranges’
- integration = the level where different governments come together to integrate and work
together
- the 2 extremes:
4
