This chapter examines what EU criminal law consists of; the reasons for its existence; and the mechanism by which it is created. It then describes the more important of its practical manifestations. It shows that Member States are torn between the practical necessity for certain problems in the area of criminal law to be dealt with at an EU level, and a deep-seated ideological resistance to this happening. A consequence of this is that the bulk of the EU instruments of which EU criminal law is composed are designed to help and encourage the criminal justice systems of the various Member States to work together, rather than to impose upon them uniform rules of criminal law or criminal procedure devised by EU law-making institutions.
12
Chapter
24. EU criminal law
John R Spencer and András Csúri
Chapter
10. The Relationship Between EU Law and National Law: Supremacy
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter discusses the doctrine of supremacy of EU law, which was developed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) based on its conception of the ‘new legal order’. The ECJ ruled that the aim of creating a uniform common market between different states would be undermined if EU law could be made subordinate to national law of the various states. The validity of EU law can therefore, according to the ECJ, never be assessed by reference to national law. National courts are required to give immediate effect to EU law, of whatever rank, in cases that arise before them, and to ignore or to set aside any national law, of whatever rank, which could impede the application of EU law. Thus, according to the ECJ, any norm of EU law takes precedence over any provision of national law, including the national constitutions. This broad assertion of the supremacy of EU law has not however been accepted without qualification by national courts, and the chapter examines the nature of the qualifications that have been imposed by some national courts. The UK version contains a further section analysing the relevance of the supremacy of EU law in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
6. The effects of EU law in the national legal systems
Michal Bobek
This chapter examines how EU law interacts with national legal systems. It first explains the default rules for the national application of EU law. It then focuses on three key principles: direct effect, indirect effect, and primacy. It considers requirements formulated with respect to procedures for the national enforcement of EU law and state liability for breaches of EU law. The chapter concludes with a case study, which illustrates the interplay between the rules and principles introduced in this chapter.
Chapter
10. The Relationship Between EU Law and National Law: Primacy
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter discusses the doctrine of primacy of EU law, which was developed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) based on its conception of the ‘new legal order’. The ECJ ruled that the aim of creating a uniform common market between different states would be undermined if EU law could be made subordinate to national law of the various states. The validity of EU law can therefore, according to the ECJ, never be assessed by reference to national law. National courts are required to give immediate effect to EU law, of whatever rank, in cases that arise before them, and to ignore or to set aside any national law, of whatever rank, which could impede the application of EU law. Thus, according to the ECJ, any norm of EU law takes precedence over any provision of national law, including the national constitutions. This broad assertion of the primacy of EU law has not, however, been accepted without qualification by national courts, and the chapter examines the nature of the qualifications that have been imposed by some national courts. The UK version contains a further section analysing the relevance of the primacy of EU law in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
10. The Relationship Between EU Law and National Law: Supremacy
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter discusses the doctrine of supremacy of EU law, which was developed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) based on its conception of the ‘new legal order’. The ECJ ruled that the aim of creating a uniform common market between different states would be undermined if EU law could be made subordinate to national law of the various states. The validity of EU law can therefore, according to the ECJ, never be assessed by reference to national law. National courts are required to give immediate effect to EU law, of whatever rank, in cases that arise before them, and to ignore or to set aside any national law, of whatever rank, which could impede the application of EU law. Thus, according to the ECJ, any norm of EU law takes precedence over any provision of national law, including the national constitutions. This broad assertion of the supremacy of EU law has not however been accepted without qualification by national courts, and the chapter examines the nature of the qualifications that have been imposed by some national courts. The UK version contains a further section analysing the relevance of the supremacy of EU law in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
14. Preliminary Rulings
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter focuses on Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which contains the preliminary ruling procedure. Article 267 has been of seminal importance for the development of EU law. It is through preliminary rulings that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has developed concepts such as direct effect and supremacy. Individuals assert in national courts that the Member State has broken a Union provision, which gives them rights that they can enforce in their national courts. The national court seeks a ruling from the ECJ whether the particular EU provision has direct effect, and the ECJ is thereby able to develop the concept. Article 267 has been the mechanism through which national courts and the ECJ have engaged in a discourse on the appropriate reach of EU law when it has come into conflict with national legal norms. The UK version contains a further section analysing the extent to which the preliminary reference system is relevant in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
14. Preliminary Rulings
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter focuses on Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which contains the preliminary ruling procedure. Article 267 has been of seminal importance for the development of EU law. It is through preliminary rulings that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has developed concepts such as direct effect and supremacy. Individuals assert in national courts that the Member State has broken a Union provision, which gives them rights that they can enforce in their national courts. The national court seeks a ruling from the ECJ whether the particular EU provision has direct effect, and the ECJ is thereby able to develop the concept. Article 267 has been the mechanism through which national courts and the ECJ have engaged in a discourse on the appropriate reach of EU law when it has come into conflict with national legal norms. The UK version contains a further section analysing the extent to which the preliminary reference system is relevant in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
5. Direct Effect
This chapter focuses on the direct effect of European law in the national legal orders. The European Union insists on a monistic relationship between European and national law. This, in particular, means that the EU will itself determine the effect of its law in the national legal orders. The chapter then looks at the direct effect of the European Treaties. The European Treaties are, however, mainly framework treaties; that is, they primarily envisage the adoption of European secondary law and especially EU legislation. This secondary law may take various forms, which are set out in Article 288 TFEU. The provision acknowledges three binding legal instruments—regulations, directives, and decisions—and two non-binding instruments. Much of the constitutional discussion on the direct effect of European secondary law has consequently concentrated on the direct effect of directives. The chapter also analyses the doctrine of indirect effect within the EU legal order.
Chapter
6. (Legal) Primacy
This chapter assesses the ‘primacy’ of European law. When the European Union was born, the European Treaties did not expressly mention the primacy of European law. Did this mean that primacy was a matter to be determined by each national legal order; or was there a European Union doctrine of primacy? There are two perspectives on the primacy question. According to the European perspective, all Union law prevails over all national law. This ‘absolute’ view is not, however, shared by the Member States. According to the national perspective, the primacy of European law is relative. The chapter then considers the two national challenges to the absolute primacy of European law. The first is the national claim asserting the relative primacy of European law in the context of fundamental human rights. The second is the contested question of who is the ultimate arbiter of the scope of the European Union's competences.
Chapter
14. Preliminary Rulings
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter focuses on Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which contains the preliminary ruling procedure. Article 267 has been of seminal importance for the development of EU law. It is through preliminary rulings that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has developed concepts such as direct effect and supremacy. Individuals assert in national courts that the Member State has broken a Union provision, which gives them rights that they can enforce in their national courts. The national court seeks a ruling from the ECJ whether the particular EU provision has direct effect, and the ECJ is thereby able to develop the concept. Article 267 has been the mechanism through which national courts and the ECJ have engaged in a discourse on the appropriate reach of EU law when it has come into conflict with national legal norms. The UK version contains a further section analysing the extent to which the preliminary reference system is relevant in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
24. EU criminal law
András Csúri and John R Spencer
This chapter examines what EU criminal law consists of; the reasons for its existence; and the mechanism by which it is created. It then describes the more important of its practical manifestations. It shows that Member States are torn between the practical necessity for certain problems in the area of criminal law to be dealt with at an EU level, and a deep-seated ideological resistance to this happening. A consequence of this is that the bulk of the EU instruments of which EU criminal law is composed are designed to help and encourage the criminal justice systems of the various Member States to work together, rather than to impose upon them uniform rules of criminal law or criminal procedure devised by EU law-making institutions.
Chapter
10. The Relationship Between EU Law and National Law: Primacy
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter discusses the doctrine of primacy of EU law, which was developed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) based on its conception of the ‘new legal order’. The ECJ ruled that the aim of creating a uniform common market between different states would be undermined if EU law could be made subordinate to national law of the various states. The validity of EU law can therefore, according to the ECJ, never be assessed by reference to national law. National courts are required to give immediate effect to EU law, of whatever rank, in cases that arise before them, and to ignore or to set aside any national law, of whatever rank, which could impede the application of EU law. Thus, according to the ECJ, any norm of EU law takes precedence over any provision of national law, including the national constitutions. This broad assertion of the primacy of EU law has not, however, been accepted without qualification by national courts, and the chapter examines the nature of the qualifications that have been imposed by some national courts. The UK version contains a further section analysing the relevance of the primacy of EU law in relation to the UK post-Brexit.
Chapter
6. The effects of EU law in the national legal systems
Michal Bobek
This chapter examines how EU law interacts with national legal systems. It starts by setting out the scope of application of EU law in the national legal system, when applied by national courts and administrative authorities. It explains the default rules for such national application of EU law: the principles of equivalence and effectiveness, as well as effective judicial protection of EU law based rights within the national legal systems. It then focuses on three key principles: direct effect, indirect effect, and primacy. It considers requirements formulated with respect to state liability for breaches of EU law. The chapter concludes with a case study, which illustrates the interplay between the rules and principles introduced in this chapter.
Chapter
2. EU law in national courts
Matthew J. Homewood and Clare Smith
This chapter discusses the key concepts within the EU legal order: supremacy, direct effect, indirect effect, and state liability. The doctrine of supremacy dictates that EU law takes precedence over conflicting provisions of national law. If a provision of EU law is directly effective, it gives rise to rights upon which individuals can rely directly in the national court. If an EU measure is not directly effective, a claimant may be able to rely on it through the application of indirect effect, which requires national law to be interpreted in accordance with relevant EU law. State liability gives rise to a right to damages where an individual has suffered loss because a Member State has failed to implement a directive or has committed other breaches of EU law.
Chapter
10. An Introduction to EU Competition Policy and Law
The idea of competition lies at the heart of the capitalist system and at the heart of European Union (EU) economic law. The broad policy objective remains to maintain and encourage competition for the benefit of the EU and its citizens. This chapter discusses EU competition law and covers the basic outline of EU competition policy; Art 101 TFEU; Art 101(2) TFEU and the consequence of a breach; Art 101(3) TFEU exemptions; Art 102 TFEU and the abuse of a dominant position; the relationship between Arts 101 and 102 TFEU; the enforcement of EU competition law; conflict of EU and national law, state aid; and EU merger control.
Book
Sylvia de Mars
EU Law in the UK tackles this subject with a post-Brexit perspective. It has a contextual approach, aiming to present the topic in a fresh and relatable way. Topics covered include the history of the EU from 1972 to the present day, the EU institutions, decision making and democracy, EU legislative powers, and the limits to those powers. The text also looks at the relations between EU and national law, domestic law, and enforcing EU law. It also considers the internal (or common, or single) market, the free movement of goods and workers, EU citizenship, and the free movement of services. Competition law is also touched upon. Finally, the text looks towards the future and considers how the UK can negotiate a future relationship with the EU.
Chapter
6. The relationship between EU and national law
This chapter focuses on the relationship between EU law and national law. It first explores the jurisprudence on what is known as the doctrine of supremacy of EU law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). When a national court observes that a national law clashes with an EU law, they must set aside that national law. The EU legal order would not work without a doctrine like supremacy: not only would domestic courts not be compelled to apply EU law instead of conflicting national law, but it is likely that different domestic courts would take different decisions as to whether to apply EU law over national law in a given scenario. The chapter then considers how supremacy has been received in Germany and the UK, looking at how the German and UK legal orders interact with EU law. It then addresses whether ‘parliamentary sovereignty’ is compatible with EU membership, and examines the impact of Brexit on the supremacy of EU law.
Chapter
7. Connecting EU law to domestic law: the preliminary reference procedure
This chapter assesses how conflicts between national law and EU law actually reach the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The Treaties have created a distinct role for the CJEU: it can decide cases where the validity of an EU law is not necessarily at issue, but rather its meaning is not entirely clear to a body that is meant to apply it. That process is set out in Article 267 TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), and involves two separate but related steps. First, a domestic court has to refer (or ask) a question of the CJEU about the meaning of EU law at stake in a dispute it is hearing. Second, the CJEU offers an interpretation of EU law to the domestic court, enabling the domestic court to decide the dispute before it. The chapter then looks at the attitude of the UK courts towards the preliminary reference process, and considers judicial law-making. It also discusses the impact of Brexit on the preliminary reference process.
Chapter
5. Direct Effect
This chapter focuses on the direct effect of European law in the national legal orders. The European Union insists on a monistic relationship between European and national law. This, in particular, means that the EU will itself determine the effect of its law in the national legal orders. The chapter then focuses on the direct effect of the EU Treaties. The European Treaties are, however, mainly framework treaties; that is, they primarily envisage the adoption of European secondary law and especially EU legislation. This secondary law may take various forms, which are set out in Article 288 TFEU. The provision acknowledges three binding legal instruments—regulations, directives, and decisions. Much of the constitutional discussion on the direct effect of European secondary law has consequently concentrated on the direct effect of directives, which will be discussed in detail. Finally, the chapter also analyses the doctrine of indirect effect within the EU legal order.
Chapter
6. (Legal) Primacy
This chapter assesses the ‘primacy’ of European law. When the European Union was born, the EU Treaties did not expressly mention the primacy of European law. Did this mean that primacy was a matter to be determined by each national legal order; or was there a European Union doctrine of primacy? There are two perspectives on the primacy question. According to the European perspective, all Union law prevails over all national law. This ‘absolute’ view is not, however, shared by the Member States. According to the national perspective, the primacy of European law is relative. The chapter considers the three national challenges to the absolute primacy of European law. The first arose in the context of fundamental rights. The second relates to the contested question of who is the ultimate arbiter of the scope of the European Union’s competences, while the third concerns the protection of the constitutional identity of the Member States.
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