The Coherence of EU Law

The Search for Unity in Divergent Concepts

Edited by Sacha Prechal and Bert van Roermund

Oxford Studies in European Law

The Coherence of EU Law

The Search for Unity in Divergent Concepts

Edited by Sacha Prechal and Bert van Roermund

Oxford Studies in European Law

Description

The EU legal order sits above a diverse mix of 27 national legal systems, with some 23 different languages. Amongst such diversity, how can the unity and coherence of the European legal system be guaranteed? Is there a common understanding between lawyers from different national backgrounds as to the meaning and application of EU law?

In addressing these issues the idea of 'common concepts' has played a crucial role - it is argued that the unity of the system is guaranteed by the consistent application of certain core principles shaping the law. To what extent can these concepts be trusted to provide a firm basis for the coherence of the EU legal order?

Believers in common concepts argue that there is a relatively clear, shared and accepted framework of ideas, providing an understanding of the system that is ultimately unified in spite of all apparent divergence. Sceptics hold that there is no such framework; 'common concepts' turn out to be additional sources of misunderstanding, confusion and, subsequently, legal divergence. According to a third thesis, there is indeed no common conceptual core, but the necessary unity and coherence of EU law can be articulated and even reinforced through the use of divergent concepts.

The contributors to this collection of essays address these issues from different disciplinary perspectives - legal sociology, linguistics, comparative law, European legal scholarship, legal theory and practical experience. The research group focused on the application of two general themes: the protection of rights and judicial discretion. In addition to the thematic research, case studies from core policy sectors are featured, including energy regulation and social policy.

The Coherence of EU Law

The Search for Unity in Divergent Concepts

Edited by Sacha Prechal and Bert van Roermund

Oxford Studies in European Law

Binding unity in EU legal order: An Introduction, Sacha Prechal and Bert van Roermund
I. Observations from Legal Practice
1. Experiences from Professional Practice - some steps towards empirical research, Thomas Vandamme, Sacha Prechal, Bert van Roermund and Linda Senden
2. Translation at the European Court of Justice, Leo Mulders
II. Rights
3. Rights in the European Landscape. A Historical and Comparative Profile, Michele Graziadei
4. Rights in European Union Law, Sasa Beljin
5. EU Rights and Discretion as reflected in Spanish Public Law, Ricardo Alonso Garcia, Leonor Moral, Carmen Plaza
6. Protection of Rights: How Far?, Sacha Prechal
III. Discretion
7. On Discretion, Roberto Caranta
8. Discretion, Divergence and Unity, Michiel Brand
9. Divergence and the Francovich remedy in German and English courts, Martina Künnecke
10. ability and Flexibility in Administrative Decision Making - The Community Law Influence on Discretion with Respect to Administrative Decisions in German Law, Matthias Ruffert
11. Democracy and Direct Effect - EU and National Perceptions of Discretion, Thomas Vandamme
12. Discretion and Public Policy: Timing the Unity and Divergence of Legal Orders, Hans Lindahl
13. Laws At Cross Purposes: Conceptual Confusion and Political Divergence, Bert van Roermund
IV. Policy Areas
14. Binding unity and divergence while Creating a Common European culture of energy regulation, Inigo del Guayo
15. Conceptual Convergence and Judicial Cooperation in Sex Equality Law, Linda Senden
16. On the Unity of European Labour Law, Emilios Christodoulidis & Ruth Dukes
17. A case of multidirectional constitutional transplant in the EU: Infra-state Law and Regionalism, Joxerramon Bengoetxea
V. Outlooks
18. Back to the Begriffshimmel? - A plea for an analytical perspective in European law, Niilo Jääskinen
19. Conceptual divergence, functionalism and the economics of convergence, Filomena Chirico and Pierre Larouche
20. Towards an Internally Consistent Doctrine on Invoking Norms of EU Law, Koen Lenaerts and Tim Courthaut

The Coherence of EU Law

The Search for Unity in Divergent Concepts

Edited by Sacha Prechal and Bert van Roermund

Oxford Studies in European Law

Author Information

Sacha Prechal is currently full-time Professor of European law at the Law Faculty of Utrecht University (Europa Institute), specializing in European administrative and constitutional law, and in the relationship between substantive and institutional law of the European Union. She has written numerous case notes and articles on EC law, in particular on EC equality law, on various aspects of the relationship and interaction between EC law and national law and on problems related to EC directives, including Directives in EC Law (OUP, 2005). She is also one of the authors of Europeanization of Public Law (Europa Law Publishing 2007). Bert van Roermund has been professor of legal philosophy at Tilburg University since 1989. After his Rousseau research, he published widely on various fundamental legal concepts and contemporary legal problems (constitutional review, democracy, European integration). His monograph on Law, Narrative and Reality (1997; also in Spanish) concluded a period of research in law and language. Since 1997 he focuses on problems of authority and representation (sovereignty, identity, normativity, reconciliation) in supra-national contexts like the European Union and the World Trade Organisation. He is currently in charge of the research programme Legislation and Identity, Strategies of Authoritative Representation (2004-2009).

Contributors:

Sacha Prechal, Utrecht University
Thomas Vandamme, Utrecht University
Bert van Roermund, Tilburg University
Linda Senden, Tilburg University
Leo Mulders, European Court of Justice Translation Service
Michele Graziadei, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria
Sasa Beljin, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Ricardo Alonso Garcia, Ministry of Education, Madrid
Leonor Moral, Universidad de Granada
Carmen Plaza Martin, University of Toledo
Roberto Caranta, Universitá di Torino
Michiel Brand, Tilburg University
Martina Künnecke, University of Hull
Matthias Ruffert, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Hans Lindahl, Tilburg University
Inigo del Guayo Castiella, University of Almería
Emilios Christodoulidis, University of Edinburgh
Ruth Dukes, University of Glasgow
Joxerramon Bengoetxea, Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
Niilo Jääskinen, Supreme Administrative Court of Finland
Filomena Chirico, Tilburg University
Pierre Larouche, Tilburg University
Koen Lenaerts, European Court of Justice
Tim Courthaut, Catholic University, Leuven