The ABC of EU law

FOREWORD...........................................................................................................................................................................................7
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................................................................9
FROM PARIS TO LISBON VIA ROME, MAASTRICHT,
AMSTERDAM AND NICE.................................................................................................................................................11
First group: the Euro-Atlantic organisations.........................................................................................11
Second group: Council of Europe and OSCE..........................................................................................13
Third group: European Union......................................................................................................................................15
FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION......................................................25
The EU as guarantor of peace..................................................................................................................................27
Unity and equality as the recurring theme.............................................................................................27
The fundamental freedoms.........................................................................................................................................29
The principle of solidarity...............................................................................................................................................29
Respect for national identity......................................................................................................................................30
The need for security............................................................................................................................................................30
The fundamental rights....................................................................................................................................................30
THE METHODS FOR UNIFYING EUROPE..............................................................................................37
Cooperation between the Member States................................................................................................37
The concept of integration............................................................................................................................................37
Enhanced cooperation.........................................................................................................................................................38
THE ‘CONSTITUTION’ OF THE EUROPEAN UNION...............................................................43
The legal nature of the EU............................................................................................................................................43
Van Gend & Loos......................................................................................................................................................44
Costa v ENEL.................................................................................................................................................................44
The tasks of the EU.................................................................................................................................................................47
Economic tasks...........................................................................................................................................................47
Social tasks......................................................................................................................................................................52
Political tasks.................................................................................................................................................................52
The powers of the EU..........................................................................................................................................................54
The institutions of the EU...............................................................................................................................................57
Institutions..........................................................................................................................................................................................59
The European Parliament (Article 14 TEU)................................................................................59
The European Council (Article 15 TEU)..........................................................................................65
The Council (Article 16).....................................................................................................................................66
The European Commission (Article 17 TEU)............................................................................72
The Court of Justice of the European Union (Article 19 TEU)............................80
The European Central Bank (Articles 129 and 130 TFEU).....................................83
The Court of Auditors (Articles 285 and 286 TFEU)......................................................83
Advisory bodies............................................................................................................................................................................84
European Economic and Social Committee (Article 301 TFEU)......................84
Committee of the Regions of the European Union
(Article 305 TFEU)...................................................................................................................................................85
The European Investment Bank (Article 308 TFEU)..................................................................86
THE LEGAL ORDER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.......................................................................89
The EU as a creation of law and a Union based on law........................................................89
The legal sources of Union law..............................................................................................................................90
The EU founding treaties as the primary source of Union law........................90
The EU legal instruments as the secondary source of Union law................90
International agreements of the EU.................................................................................................92
Sources of unwritten law................................................................................................................................96
Agreements between the Member States.................................................................................97
The EU’s means of action..............................................................................................................................................98
Regulations as Union ‘laws’.....................................................................................................................100
Directives........................................................................................................................................................................101
Decisions.........................................................................................................................................................................105
Recommendations and opinions.......................................................................................................108
Resolutions, declarations and action programmes....................................................108
Publication and communication.........................................................................................................110
The legislative process in the EU......................................................................................................................111
Approval procedure.............................................................................................................................................117
Procedure for adopting non-legislative acts........................................................................117
Procedure for adopting delegated acts and implementing acts...............118
The EU system of legal protection.................................................................................................................120
Treaty infringement proceedings (Article 258 TFEU)...............................................120
Actions for annulment (Article 263 TFEU).............................................................................122
Complaints for failure to act (Article 265 TFEU)............................................................124
Actions for damages
(Article 268 and Article 340, second paragraph, TFEU).......................................124
Actions by Union staff (Article 270 TFEU)..............................................................................125
Preliminary rulings (Article 256 TFEU).......................................................................................125
Provisional legal protection (Articles 278 and 279 TFEU)..................................125
Preliminary rulings (Article 267 TFEU).......................................................................................126
Liability of the Member States for infringements of Union law............................129
THE POSITION OF UNION LAW IN RELATION TO
THE LEGAL ORDER AS A WHOLE...............................................................................................................133
Autonomy of the EU legal order........................................................................................................................133
Interaction between Union law and national law......................................................................134
Conflict between Union law and national law................................................................................136
Direct applicability of Union law to national law..........................................................136
Primacy of Union law over national law..................................................................................139
Interpretation of national law in line with Union law................................................141
CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................................................................................145
CASE-LAW CITED...............................................................................................................................................................147
Nature and primacy of Union law....................................................................................................................147
Powers of the EU....................................................................................................................................................................148
Effects of legal acts...........................................................................................................................................................148
Fundamental rights.............................................................................................................................................................148
Legal protection.......................................................................................................................................................................148