Very thorough notes on the entire module of European Law. They include class notes during lectures and workshops and aim to prepare you fully for the exams.
o EU Law is a very important tool for the organization, functioning and development of the
European Union
o EU law includes substantive law (EU consumer law) but also constitutional law (the EU’s
legal foundations, the institutions, the relation between EU law and national law)
o Law and politics are intertwined
I. The Legal and Political Evolution of the European Union since 1945 *
The situation in Europe after 1945;
o Europe was in ruins after WWII
o Divided continent and a divided Germany
o Start of the Cold War
Main events in the 1950’s
o 1950 Schuman Declaration
o 1951 signing of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
o attempts to create further political integration failed (European Defense Community,
European Political Community)
o 1957 signing of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC)
The EEC Treaty
Signed in 1957, came into force in 1958
o Focus on economic integration
o Common market
o Most of the common political institutions were already present (European Commission,
European Parliament, Council)
o Remained in place for 30 years until the Single European Act
Main events in the 1960’s and 1970’s
o No formal Treaty amendment
o Several legally relevant developments took place;
Crucial case-law (Van Gend & Loos + Costa ENEL) (1963, 1964)
, Luxembourg compromise (1965)
Creation of the European Council (1974); members are the heads of government
Agreement on direct elections for the European Parliament (1979)
Single European Act
Came into force in 1987
o A Treaty amending the EEC Treaty; the original Treaty was amended by the new one by
Member States (it stayed in place but was changed/adapted)
o Single market; abolishment of internal borders
o Formal inclusion of the European Council
Development of the EU…
o Different theories that describe and explain European Integration
o The development of the EU has however never been a logical or ‘linear’ process
o 1989 = Fall of Berlin wall
The Maastricht Treaty
Came into force in 1993
o Direct relation to the fall of the Berlin wall, to absorb the geopolitical shock of 1989 for the
Community
o Amended the existing EEC Treaty, which became the EC Treaty (content changed)
o Creation of the European Union by way of the Treaty on European Union
o Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
o Union citizenship
Recurring issues treaty amendments ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Nice’
1999 (A’dam) and 2003 (Nice)
o Division of competences between the EU and the member states, what should the EU be
doing?
o A lot of negotiations took place regarding;
Decision making (how should this be done, majority voting,…)
Institutional arrangements (number of seats in the EUP, votes per member state in the
Council,…)
o Less relevant than the Maastricht Treaty, also less change
The Constitutional Treaty
Never came into force
o Convention method
o Ambition to produce one single document
, o Rejected by two referenda and much of the content would be maintained
The Lisbon Treaty
Signed 2007, came into force 2009
o The latest Treaty to come into force
o Amendment of the Treaty on European Union
o Amendment and renaming of TEC, now Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
(TFEU)
o Single legal entity
o EU Charter is legally binding
o Enhanced role for the European Parliament, permanent president for the European Council
The EU in 2022
27 Member States
o Possible future enlargements
o Changes in membership can also mean the departure of a State (UK was the first)
II. Nature and Characteristics of the European Union *
The EU as a regulatory entity is mostly concerned with producing rules and regulations. But it also
concerns with more political matters (migration) and multiple crises and challenges (Euro crisis).
o Increased focus on what the EU can / should get done and how (input and output legitimacy)
o Greater role for the European Parliament (democratic legitimacy) and the European
Council (political authority to take real decisions)
How to categorize the EU theoretically?...
o EU is NOT a State
o International organization? In that matter it would be the most developed one
o A category of its own; sui generis
…and practically?
o The EU is a political community in the making, that exists to serve the interests of its
member states and citizens
III. The European Union, its Member States and its Citizens *
Its Member States
o The EU is not becoming a ‘superstate’ that will replace the member states (Art. 4(2) TEU)
, o The EU does not have Kompetenz – Kompetenz (the authority to decide on its own
competences)
o The member states jointly are the primary legislature of the Union
o No FREE membership; member states are obliged to act in good faith (principle of sincere
cooperation, principle of solidarity)
o Acceptance of binding decisions even when outvoted
o A voluntary decision to become or remain a member state of the EU
o National governments play an important role in EU decision making
Its Citizens
o Every person born in a Member State is automatically a citizen of the European Union
o Citizens are directly represented at Union level in the European Parliament (Art. 10(2) TEU)
IV. The Union’s Current Constitutional Settlement *
o Institutions, competences, legislation
o How EU Law is enforced
o Constitutional settlement; the documents of Primary Law
Primary European Law Sources; currently
o The TEU and the TFEU
o Protocols annexed to these Treaties
o The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
Lecture 2 – The Executive of EU
The Role of the Executive
a. Internal
Figure-head for National Unity
Appoint officers
Lead departments
Execute the Laws
Policy and legislation
The Public Budget
b. External
Official Representation (7(2) Vienna Convention)
Make Treaties
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