EUROPEAN LAW ALL LECTURES
Cijfer Europees Recht Deel 1: 8,43
European Law
Lecture Week 1
LECTURE OUTLINE
Evolution of the EU:
- Origins and objectives
- Sources of the eu law
EU institutions:
- What are the main institutions and what is their composition? (4)
- What is their function/tasks?
- To whom are they accountable
- Intergovernmentalism (internal governments do the decision making) vs
supranationalism (governments of states have delegated powers to
supranational states to make decisions)
Evolution of the EU
3 lines:
1) Substantive developments:
- Increasing competences (bevoegdheden) on education, transport,
energy etc
- From mostly economical to political
2) Geographical developments:
- 6 MS (1957) to 28 (2013) or 27 (2020?)
- with more MS EU is becoming conglomerate institution
3) Institutional developments:
- Role of the institutions
- Questions about the power of smaller and bigger MS
- Legitimacy: democracy?, human rights and rule of law (implies that
everybody, also law-makers, are subject to law)
,> These 3 lines are closely intertwined
INTERGOVERNMENTALISM VERSUS SUPRANATIONALISM
The EU has elements of both
1) Intergovernmentalism (states/national governments are the primary
actors in the integration process (of Europe becoming a union):
- Member states are above the EU
- Decision-taking by unanimity (veto’s of the MS)
- Power rests with the Council (= national ministers) or the European
Council (=heads of State and Government)
- Initiative with the Member States
- Limited (consultative) role for the EP, just legislative
- No (or limited) review by CJEU
2) Supranationalism (negotiated power is delegated to an authority placed
higher than the states)
- the EU institutions are above the member states
- Decision taking by majority (no veto’s)
- Power divided between Commission, Council and EP
- Parliament ‘co-decides’ with the Council ‘ordinary legislative
procedure’
- initiative rests with Commission
- Full review by CJEU
EU’s
Supranational elements:
- Decision-Making by qualified majority
- Ordinary legislative procedure
- Commission, EP and CJEU
Intergovernmental elements:
- EU council
- unanimity
- opt-outs (when a given country does not wish to join the others in a
particular field of EU policy; ie england with schengen)
- Common Foreign and Security policy
- Treaty Amendments
Evolution towards Supranationalism
European Parliament gained power with every treaty amendment (cooperation,
co-decision, ordinary legislative procedure)
- Direct universal suffrage for EP
- European Parliament also got increased control over the Commission
(dismissal, approval and even proposing Spitzenkandidaten)
- > the Spitzenkandidaten- Process (since 2014, didn’t need an Treaty
Amendment because the Lisbon treaty left interpretation-space) is the
process where the Political Parties of the EP elect the candidates for the
, role of the Commission President (this can improve the participation of
citizens to vote for the EP, since the commission is the executive of the
EU; this proposedly also gives the EC more democratic legitimacy)
instead of the candidates being proposed by the European council to
the EP.
EU HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED THROUGH TREATIES (= Primary law)
- Original founding treaties (ECSC, EEC)
- Accession Treaties: art 49 TEU; A European state does application >
Council must consult the Commission > and EP (majority) must give its
consent > Council must then take an unanimous decision based on the
‘Copenhagen criteria’ (= is the state qualified enough to join?) >>>
Accession treaty, which must be ratified by all MS and future MS
- Amending treaties
- ‘Ordinary’ revision procedure: art 48 (2) - (4) TEU > takes a LONG
time to enforce because of the long and difficult process; initiative,
proposal is considered in convention of the institutions, MS have to
agree
- ‘Simplified’ Treaty revision procedure: art 48 (6) TEU > used for
functioning of the EU, NOT to obtain new power; only needs
approval of the MS
- And Charter of Fundamental rights
>> all of these need 28 (now 27) ratifications with its difficulties! (role of national
parliaments)
ORIGINS OF THE EU
- FYI: The rise of nationalism caused two world wars
Treaty of versaille: punished germany economically and politically > resulted in
WW2
- After this WW, EU-now countries wanted lasting peace on this continent.
- They realised they can't do the same after WW1, but they did NOT want to
let germany occupy the Ruhr (area rich of coal and steel) > so they decided
to make a supranational authority (ECSC) > Schuman declaration 9 may
1950 (read for yourself! Important!)
1952 Treaty of Paris: creation of a supranational organisation with supranational
institutions (like council etc)
- Established European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) > breaks
economic power of individuals, so made fair competition possible.
Affected individuals.
- But expired in 2002 > evolved into European Union
, 1958 Treaty of rome
- European economic community (EEC)
- the main objectives of this organization was economic integration
(by having free movement of people, goods, services and capital =
Four Freedoms,
- free trade with no duties but a common external tariff
- 6 founding member states: BeNeLux, west-Germany, France, Italy
1986 Stuttgart Single European Act (SEA)
- Institutional changes:
- Gave a legal basis to European Political Cooperation
- Before SEA: ‘Commission proposes, and the council disposes’
- Transformation in the role of the European Parliament (still today);
the ‘cooperation procedure’ in Treaty articles > The view of the EP
had to be taken seriously wherever this procedure applied > EP
could now block some legislative proposals
- Most important article/provision with this: art 114 TFEU, which confers
power upon the EU to adopt legislation concerning the internal market (on
negative integration; prohibition of trade barriers and Positive integration;
harmonization of rules to establish common market) > the EP was added
to the legislative procedure on this, instead of only unanimity of the council
- Unanimity of the Council is hard to realise when more and more MS
join EU
- The EP was also given the right of veto over the accession of new MS
1992 Treaty of maastricht (Treaty on the European Union)
- Two aims:
1. Establishing the European union
2. They did not only want to sustain the economic integration
(created by the SEA) > they adapted rules on social policy or
environment
- Resulted in common foreign policy > but it is sensitive to have a
supranational organisation suddenly
- So it resulted in a 3 pillar-construction:
1. The communities (ecsc, EURATOM)
2. Foreign and security Policy (CFSP)
3. Justice and Home affairs
> Last two are more intergovernmental, the power laid with the MS,
Council and European Council (other institutions had no role)
- > But we don't have 3 pillar-construction anymore > Significant expansion
of power (This does cause critic because of its democratic deficiency)
- Introduction of the co-decision procedure (allowed EP to block legislation)
- Establishment of principle of subsidiarity (= distinguishing when action is
best taken at Community or national level?)
- Introduction of european citizenship
Cijfer Europees Recht Deel 1: 8,43
European Law
Lecture Week 1
LECTURE OUTLINE
Evolution of the EU:
- Origins and objectives
- Sources of the eu law
EU institutions:
- What are the main institutions and what is their composition? (4)
- What is their function/tasks?
- To whom are they accountable
- Intergovernmentalism (internal governments do the decision making) vs
supranationalism (governments of states have delegated powers to
supranational states to make decisions)
Evolution of the EU
3 lines:
1) Substantive developments:
- Increasing competences (bevoegdheden) on education, transport,
energy etc
- From mostly economical to political
2) Geographical developments:
- 6 MS (1957) to 28 (2013) or 27 (2020?)
- with more MS EU is becoming conglomerate institution
3) Institutional developments:
- Role of the institutions
- Questions about the power of smaller and bigger MS
- Legitimacy: democracy?, human rights and rule of law (implies that
everybody, also law-makers, are subject to law)
,> These 3 lines are closely intertwined
INTERGOVERNMENTALISM VERSUS SUPRANATIONALISM
The EU has elements of both
1) Intergovernmentalism (states/national governments are the primary
actors in the integration process (of Europe becoming a union):
- Member states are above the EU
- Decision-taking by unanimity (veto’s of the MS)
- Power rests with the Council (= national ministers) or the European
Council (=heads of State and Government)
- Initiative with the Member States
- Limited (consultative) role for the EP, just legislative
- No (or limited) review by CJEU
2) Supranationalism (negotiated power is delegated to an authority placed
higher than the states)
- the EU institutions are above the member states
- Decision taking by majority (no veto’s)
- Power divided between Commission, Council and EP
- Parliament ‘co-decides’ with the Council ‘ordinary legislative
procedure’
- initiative rests with Commission
- Full review by CJEU
EU’s
Supranational elements:
- Decision-Making by qualified majority
- Ordinary legislative procedure
- Commission, EP and CJEU
Intergovernmental elements:
- EU council
- unanimity
- opt-outs (when a given country does not wish to join the others in a
particular field of EU policy; ie england with schengen)
- Common Foreign and Security policy
- Treaty Amendments
Evolution towards Supranationalism
European Parliament gained power with every treaty amendment (cooperation,
co-decision, ordinary legislative procedure)
- Direct universal suffrage for EP
- European Parliament also got increased control over the Commission
(dismissal, approval and even proposing Spitzenkandidaten)
- > the Spitzenkandidaten- Process (since 2014, didn’t need an Treaty
Amendment because the Lisbon treaty left interpretation-space) is the
process where the Political Parties of the EP elect the candidates for the
, role of the Commission President (this can improve the participation of
citizens to vote for the EP, since the commission is the executive of the
EU; this proposedly also gives the EC more democratic legitimacy)
instead of the candidates being proposed by the European council to
the EP.
EU HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED THROUGH TREATIES (= Primary law)
- Original founding treaties (ECSC, EEC)
- Accession Treaties: art 49 TEU; A European state does application >
Council must consult the Commission > and EP (majority) must give its
consent > Council must then take an unanimous decision based on the
‘Copenhagen criteria’ (= is the state qualified enough to join?) >>>
Accession treaty, which must be ratified by all MS and future MS
- Amending treaties
- ‘Ordinary’ revision procedure: art 48 (2) - (4) TEU > takes a LONG
time to enforce because of the long and difficult process; initiative,
proposal is considered in convention of the institutions, MS have to
agree
- ‘Simplified’ Treaty revision procedure: art 48 (6) TEU > used for
functioning of the EU, NOT to obtain new power; only needs
approval of the MS
- And Charter of Fundamental rights
>> all of these need 28 (now 27) ratifications with its difficulties! (role of national
parliaments)
ORIGINS OF THE EU
- FYI: The rise of nationalism caused two world wars
Treaty of versaille: punished germany economically and politically > resulted in
WW2
- After this WW, EU-now countries wanted lasting peace on this continent.
- They realised they can't do the same after WW1, but they did NOT want to
let germany occupy the Ruhr (area rich of coal and steel) > so they decided
to make a supranational authority (ECSC) > Schuman declaration 9 may
1950 (read for yourself! Important!)
1952 Treaty of Paris: creation of a supranational organisation with supranational
institutions (like council etc)
- Established European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) > breaks
economic power of individuals, so made fair competition possible.
Affected individuals.
- But expired in 2002 > evolved into European Union
, 1958 Treaty of rome
- European economic community (EEC)
- the main objectives of this organization was economic integration
(by having free movement of people, goods, services and capital =
Four Freedoms,
- free trade with no duties but a common external tariff
- 6 founding member states: BeNeLux, west-Germany, France, Italy
1986 Stuttgart Single European Act (SEA)
- Institutional changes:
- Gave a legal basis to European Political Cooperation
- Before SEA: ‘Commission proposes, and the council disposes’
- Transformation in the role of the European Parliament (still today);
the ‘cooperation procedure’ in Treaty articles > The view of the EP
had to be taken seriously wherever this procedure applied > EP
could now block some legislative proposals
- Most important article/provision with this: art 114 TFEU, which confers
power upon the EU to adopt legislation concerning the internal market (on
negative integration; prohibition of trade barriers and Positive integration;
harmonization of rules to establish common market) > the EP was added
to the legislative procedure on this, instead of only unanimity of the council
- Unanimity of the Council is hard to realise when more and more MS
join EU
- The EP was also given the right of veto over the accession of new MS
1992 Treaty of maastricht (Treaty on the European Union)
- Two aims:
1. Establishing the European union
2. They did not only want to sustain the economic integration
(created by the SEA) > they adapted rules on social policy or
environment
- Resulted in common foreign policy > but it is sensitive to have a
supranational organisation suddenly
- So it resulted in a 3 pillar-construction:
1. The communities (ecsc, EURATOM)
2. Foreign and security Policy (CFSP)
3. Justice and Home affairs
> Last two are more intergovernmental, the power laid with the MS,
Council and European Council (other institutions had no role)
- > But we don't have 3 pillar-construction anymore > Significant expansion
of power (This does cause critic because of its democratic deficiency)
- Introduction of the co-decision procedure (allowed EP to block legislation)
- Establishment of principle of subsidiarity (= distinguishing when action is
best taken at Community or national level?)
- Introduction of european citizenship
