eu-law

The Principle of Conferral: The Limits of European Union Competence Introduction The European Union is a legal and political order with substantial authority to adopt legislation, coordinate policies, conclude international agreements, and establish common rules governing the activities of its Member States. Yet its authority is not unlimited. Unlike a Read more

The EU Legal Order and the Relationship Between EU Law and National Law: Primacy, Direct Effect, and Constitutional Authority Introduction The European Union is founded on international treaties, but its legal system operates in a way that cannot be explained by the ordinary rules governing relations between sovereign states. EU Read more

The Copenhagen Criteria and the EU Accession Process: Democracy, the Rule of Law, and the Adoption of the Acquis Introduction Joining the European Union is one of the most consequential legal and institutional transformations a European state can undertake. Accession is not simply a diplomatic agreement, an economic partnership, or Read more

The Fundamental Values and Objectives of the European Union Introduction The European Union is founded not merely on economic cooperation or the practical advantages of a common market. Its legal and political identity rests on a set of fundamental values that define the conditions under which European integration is legitimate, Read more

The Sources of European Union Law: Primary Law, Secondary Legislation, General Principles, and International Agreements Introduction Every legal system depends upon identifiable sources of law. These sources determine where legal rules originate, which institutions have authority to create them, how they are interpreted, and what happens when different rules appear Read more

The Legal Nature of the European Union: A Supranational Legal Order Between International Law and Constitutionalism Introduction The European Union occupies an unusual position in the architecture of modern international law. It is not a state, although it exercises public authority over individuals, businesses, national governments, and institutions within its Read more

EU Membership and the Development of the European Union: From Six Founding States to Twenty-Seven Members Introduction The development of the European Union from six founding states into a political and economic union of twenty-seven Member States is one of the most significant transformations in modern European history. What began Read more

The Treaty of Lisbon: Constitutional Reform and the Modern European Union Introduction The Treaty of Lisbon, signed on 13 December 2007 and entering into force on 1 December 2009, established the legal and institutional framework within which the modern European Union operates. It was a major constitutional reform, although it Read more

The Constitutional Treaty of 2004: The European Constitution That Never Entered into Force Introduction The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, was one of the most ambitious attempts to reform the constitutional structure of European integration. It sought to replace the complex collection Read more