Complete summary of CCL-Comparative Constitutional Law, LLB year 1 University of Groningen (rug). Includes weekly readings, lectures, and wg questions. Grade: 9/10
Current constitutions: aimed to replace an old order w/ a new one= revolutionary
Eg.
- US: closer unification between 13 independent colonies
- Germany: Basic Law was adopted as a partial reestablishment in 1949 of republican
democratic statehood
- France: institutional overhaul of battered state structures
- Netherlands: 1814/15- restoration of monarchy + creation of a unitary and
independent state
+Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: established a quasi-federal relation between
NL and overseas territories.
UK: evolutionary constitution= new features are added and powers shift within an
extraordinarily stable institutional framework.
UK- Principle of legislative supremacy:
- Parliament is not subordinate to the Crown
When Parliament and King/Queen together make a statute (monarch gives assent to Acts of
Parliament), the resulting law is the highest norm in the UK.
Sovereignty:
‘Maker’ of constitution is not necessarily its physical author, but the entity from whose
authority the constitution is derived=> the sovereign.
Sovereign: the original source of all public power from which all other power flows.
The ultimate power to exercise authority over oneself.
States have an:
a) External dimension: the possibility for a state to exercise control over its population
and territory without interference from outside (origin: 1648 Peace of Westphalia,
PIL)
b) Internal dimension: original source of public authority within the state itself (can
be found in preamble of constitution)
Eg. ‘We the People…’-> derived from popular will (US)
>Also the internal dimension deals with: the ultimate fundamental constitutional authority
(who makes the national constitution?)
Popular sovereignty: authority of constitution is derived from having been enacted by the
people. Does not necessarily mean it was adopted by referendum.
,Popular VS Royal Sovereignty:
Royal sovereignty: the original source of all public authority is the King/Queen (usually
coupled w/ a religious claim).
>In cases of religious claim, the monarch remains the sovereign even if he grants people a
constitution.
Constitutions after the French revolution were meant to limit and direct the use of power
by public authority but still derived authority from the monarch who could at any point
change/repeal them (constitutions octoyées/’imposed constitutions’).
Popular VS National Sovereignty:
Popular sovereignty/ sovereignty of the people: people are a concrete+real entity , the
existing population at any point in time.
≠
National sovereignty/sovereignty of the nation: abstract philosophical notion that does not
coincide w/ the current population. Can only be exercised by the nation’s representatives
(can be the people but does not have to be the people).
Eg Belgium: national sovereignty: represented by parliament (the nation).
>Popular sovereignty: population is able to exercise its will through referendum, whereas
in national sovereignty this possibility is excluded since the nation is an abstraction and
cannot act on its own.
Popular VS State Sovereignty:
Federal systems: claim of individual States to continued sovereignty (state sovereignty)
Eg US: powers not delegated to the federal level are said to be ‘sovereign’ powers of the
individual States.
US+GE: no right to independence/secession of states, unless with the permission of the
State (e.g. Scottish referendum with consent of UK).
Parliamentary sovereignty: legislative/parliamentary supremacy.
>UK:
Parliament: King/Queen-in-Parliament: bills adopted by parliament+royal assent from
monarch.
Acts of Parliament (^): highest law of the land.
- ONLY King/Queen-in-Parliament may undo previous legislation.
- Monarch cannot legislate without parliamentary approval
- Statute overrides royal prerogative
,Monarch: ‘the sovereign’ BUT bound by will of Parliament.
Absence of Sovereignty:
Dutch constitution: no preamble establishing sovereignty to avoid conflicts between
republicans, royalists and clericals.
Fundamental authority: the constitutional lawmaker (Gov+Parliament).
Sovereignty and European Integration:
EU law is part of MS national law
Two viewpoints:
a) EU is a state and MS form part of a larger federation. Then federal (EU) would
override State (national) law->overreaching
b) EU is an IO based on inter. treaties (TEU,TFEU).->does not suffice because MS have
given up parts of their sovereignty.
>Instead the EU has created a new legal order= capable of generating direct effect in MS+
has supremacy over all conflicting national provisions.
>EU only possesses powers that MS have conferred upon it.
Parliamentary and Presidential systems:
>Relevant factor is not whether the state has a parliament or president.
Presidential system-defining feature:
Whether the head of the executive is elected w/ a mandate of his own, or whether he owns
the continuation of his office to parliament and is therefore accountable to parliament in
the sense of a confidence rule.
Eg.
US, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines
Parliamentary system:
Head of the executive is not directly elected, but stays in office because he enjoys the
confidence or tolerance of the parliament.
Eg.
NL, UK, GE
>All can be voted out of office via a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
Presidential systems have a stronger parliament which is more independent and assertive,
whereas parliamentary systems have a stronger president.
, Semi-presidential system:
Hybrid. France=>Both a directly elected president (executive power+only accountable to
people) +a PM (executive power+accountable to parliament).
=>Two-headed executive: can have either a presidential attitude or a hands-on executive
presidency.
EU:
Mixed hybrid system:
Parliamentary features:
- Role of EP in the appointment of the President of the Commission
- Possibility of EP to hold Commission accountable and adopt a vote of no confidence
- Commission+EP+Council have to collaborate in order to adopt legislation
Presidential features:
- Independence of President of European Council (not elected+ separate (indirect)
mandate from MS)
Separation of powers:
Montesquieu: Principle of separation of powers (UK)
Functional separation of powers:
1. Legislative power: makes laws
2. Executive power: enforces and executes laws
3. Judicial power: interprets and applies laws in cases of conflict.
+institutional separation of powers: these 3 functions should be allocated to different
organs
+personal separation of powers: organs must be staffed by different people.
Goal: prevent abuse of powers+prevent one person/institution from grabbing and
exercising all powers (absolute power).
US:
System of checks and balances between the branches= to ensure that no single branch
accumulates too much power for itself.
Separation of powers implemented differently in countries but consensus: judiciary should
be impartial and independent from gov. interference.
Personal separation of powers:
UK: members of the cabinet must be members of parliament.
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