The European Union is rarely out of the news and, as it deals with the consequences of the Brexit vote and struggles to emerge from the eurozone crisis, it faces difficult questions about its future. In this debate, the law has a central role to play, whether the issue be the governance of the eurozone, the internal market, 'clawing back powers from Europe' or reducing so-called 'Brussels red tape'. In this Very Short Introduction Anthony Arnull looks at the laws and legal system of the European Union, including EU courts, and discusses the range of issues that the European Union has been given the power to regulate, such as the free movement of goods and people. He considers why an organisation based on international treaties has proved capable of having far-reaching effects on both its Member States and on countries that lie beyond its borders, and discusses how its law and legal system have proved remarkably effective in ensuring that Member States respect the commitments they made when they signed the Treaties. Answering some of the key questions surrounding EU law, such as what exactly it is about, and how it has become part of the legal DNA of its Member States so much more effectively than other treaty-based regimes, Arnull considers the future for the European Union. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This collection celebrates the career of Professor Alan Dashwood, a leading member of the generation of British academics who organised, explained and analysed what we now call European Union law for the benefit of lawyers trained in the common law tradition. It takes as its starting point Professor Dashwood's vivid description of the European Union as a 'constitutional order of states'. He intended that phrase to capture the unique character of the Union. On the one hand, it is a supranational order characterised by its own distinctive institutional dynamics and an unprecedented level of cohesion among, and penetration into, the national legal systems. On the other hand, it remains an organisation of derived powers, the Member States retaining their character as sovereign entities under international law. This theme permeates both the constitutional and the substantive law of the Union. Contributors to the collection include members of the judiciary and distinguished practitioners, officials and academics. They consider the foundations, strengths, implications and shortcomings of this conceptual framework in various fields of EU law and policy. The collection is an essential purchase for anyone interested in the constitutional framework of the contemporary European Union.

Since its formation, the European Union has expanded beyond all expectations; this seems set to continue as more countries seek accession and the scope of EU law expands, touching more and more aspects of its citizens' lives. The EU has never been stronger and yet it now appears to be reaching a crisis point, beset on all sides by conflict and challenges to its legitimacy. Nationalist sentiment is on the rise and the Eurozone crisis has had a deep and lasting impact. The European Union has the complexity and depth of a mature legal system, albeit one which is constantly in flux and whose content and foundations are constantly contested. Its law has developed beyond the single market and institutional matters into many other fields including environmental, fiscal, labour, immigration and criminal law. It is studied at undergraduate and postgraduate level throughout the Member States and beyond; an understanding of it is essential to those who study the EU from other disciplinary perspectives as well as to legal practitioners and policy-makers. The Oxford Handbook of European Union Law comprises eight sections examining how we are to conceptualise EU law; the architecture of EU law; making and administering EU law; the economic constitution and the citizen; regulation of the market place; economic, monetary and fiscal union; the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice; and what lies beyond the regulatory state. Each chapter summarises, analyses and reflects on the state of play in a given area, and suggests how it is likely to develop in the foreseeable future. The resulting collection provides a vivid and provocative tapestry which will be widely used both inside and outside academia by those who are interested in the law underpinning the EU and its policies.

This volume commemorates the career of Sir Francis Jacobs KCMG QC, who served as British Advocate General at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg from October 1988 until January 2006. The essays in the volume examine the key developments in EU law over the period that Sir Francis served as Advocate General, one that saw momentous changes in the character of the Union and its legal order. It encompassed the Treaty of Maastricht, which superimposed the Union on the pre-existing European Community, as well as the Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice; the proclamation of the Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights; the drafting of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe; the creation of the Court of First Instance and the EU Civil Service Tribunal; the completion of the single market; and the enlargement of the Union to 15 Member States in 1995 and 25 Member States in 2004. The period also witnessed a profound change in the nature of much academic scholarship on the law of the Union. At the same time, the ECJ continues to grapple with issues which preoccupied it in the 1980s and earlier, such as the relationship between Union law and national law, the circumstances in which individuals should be permitted to seek the annulment of measures adopted by the Union's institutions and the scope of the Treaty rules on freedom of movement. The essays in the volume look at the persistent difficulties that have faced the unique legal system during the period of change. The volume is divided into five sections dealing respectively with: general issues and institutional questions; fundamental rights; substantive law; external relations; and national perspectives. The contributors are distinguished figures drawn from a variety of constituencies, including the national and European judiciaries, legal practice, and the academic world.

This book is part of the Oxford EC Law Library. The aim of this series is to publish important and original studies of the various branches of European Community Law. Each work provides a clear, concise, and original critical exposition of the law in its social, economic, and political context, at a level which will interest the advanced student, the practitioner, the academic, and government and Community officials.
The European Court of Justice is a controversial institution. Its supporters see it as having played a central and positive role in shaping a polity which has given its Member States an unprecedented degree of peace, stability, and prosperity. To its detractors, it has ignored the Treaties from which it derives its powers in order to pursue an agenda of its own about the political shape of Europe. The purpose of this book is to record and analyse the contribution the Court has made to shaping the legal framework within which the European Union operates.
It examines the case law of the Court on the scope of its own powers and important constitutional questions with which it has been confronted: the relationship between Community law and national law, the impact of Community law on national remedies, the development of general principles of law and the place of fundamental rights.
This book also looks at the case law of the Court in certain key areas of substantive law: the free movement of goods, persons and services, competition and equal treatment for men and women. The final section comprises a discussion of some general questions relating to the Court's overall approach. To what extent has it varied with the passage of time? What has been its relationshipwith other institutions of the Union and the national courts of the Member States? Should we regard the central role the court has undoubtedly played in the Union as legitimate? What is likely to be the effect on the Court of the latest set of amendments to the Union treaties contained in the Treaty of Amsterdam? The European Union and its Court of Justice will be an important source of work for practitioners, scholars and students interested in European Union law.

The contributors to this interdisciplinary collection of essays consider various aspects of accountability and legitimacy in the European Union, issues which are now high on the political agenda. The collection will be of interest to anyone concerned with the future of Europe, from students and academics to policy-makers and journalists.

The European Court of Justice has played a major role in the development of what is now the European Union, but the way the Court has used its powers have been highly controversial. The new edition of this book examines the contribution of the Court in shaping the legal framework within which the EU operates. It considers the Court's place among the Union's institutions; its organization and working methods; what its powers are; how it has used those powers to resolve important questions of both constitutional and substantive law; and certain general questions relating to its overall approach. Throughout, the implications of the Union's Constitutional Treaty, signed by the Member States in Rome in October 2004 are taken fully into account.

The European Union's growing accountability deficit threatens to undermine its legitimacy. This was acknowledged by the Member States in Nice in February 2001. Recognising the need to improve 'the democratic legitimacy and transparency of the Union and its institutions', they agreed to launch a debate on the Union's future. At Laeken in December 2001, the Member States decided that the debate should be carried forward in a Convention comprising the main parties involved. The debate will start to crystallise in 2004, when negotiations on a new set of Treaty changes will begin.

The outcome of those negotiations will profoundly affect the constitutional and political health of the Union as it confronts enlargement to the east and south and the challenges of the 21st century. However, the Union's accountability and legitimacy deficit is so deep-seated that it is unlikely to be eradicated completely by the changes agreed. The issue will therefore remain high on the political agenda for the foreseeable future. The contributors to this interdisciplinary collection of essays consider various aspects of accountability and legitimacy in the European Union. How open should the Union's decision-making be? What is the right balance between accountability and efficiency? Does the Union now need a formal constitution? How can respect for democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law in the Union best be ensured? These are just some of the questions explored in this book. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with the future of Europe, from students and academics to policy-makers, and journalists