A commonly expressed view is that the citizens and the Member States are destined to be overcome by the European Union. There is a sense that the Union of today is not what was intended to be created or acceded to by the Member States or its citizens. The Outer Limits of European Union Law brings together a diverse group of legal scholars to consider aspects of EU substantive, constitutional and procedural law in a manner highlighting the many senses in which the European Union is or can be limited and so demonstrating that the fear of being overcome is largely a false fear. By exploring the mechanisms and devices used to limit the European Union, the contributors also reveal not only the strengths of the various limits, but also and more crucially the weakness of the limits , thereby demonstrating that the prospect of being overcome may be a genuine risk to be guarded against. By considering general themes (eg legitimacy) and core subject areas (eg policing, free movement of goods, remedies) the book reveals the various techniques used by the Court of Justice, Community institutions and Member States to define and modify the outer limits of the European Union and European Union Law.

The criticism of the perceived 'competence creep' of the European Union is not new. The book, The Outer Limits of European Union Law (comprising an introduction and 15 chapters) sheds some light on the validity of this criticism. It is persuasive in its claim that there are ultimate limits to the European Union's competence and reveals both the strengths and the weaknesses of these limits. The book addresses the limits of EU law from three angles. First, the book seeks to draw these limits in different policy areas (citizenship, police co-operation, free movement provisions, etc.). Secondly, it addresses broader questions of legitimacy and the nature of the integrated European legal order. Thirdly, it discusses specific mechanisms (Art.308 EC), principles (proportionality, subsidiarity, conferred powers) and techniques used by the European Courts, the institutions, and the Member States to extend or contain EU law.

Millions of British, Dutch, French, Danish, Spanish, and Portuguese nationals permanently reside in the overseas parts of their Member States. These people, like the companies registered in such territories, often find it virtually impossible to determine what law applies when legal decisions are required. Although Article 52(1) of the EU Treaty clearly states that EU law applies in the territory of all the Member States, most Member State territories lying outside of Europe provide examples of legal arrangements deviating from this rule. This book, for the first time in English, gathers these deviations into a complex system of rules that the editor calls the ‘EU law of the Overseas’. Member States’ territories lying far away from the European continent either do not fall within the scope of EU law entirely, or are subject to EU law with serious derogations. A huge gap thus exists between the application of EU law in Europe and in the overseas parts of the Member States, which has not been explored in the English language literature until now. This collection of essays sets out to correct this by examining the principles of Union law applicable to such territories, placing them in the general context of the development of European integration. Among the key legal issues discussed are the following: internal market outside of Europe; the protection of minority cultures; EU citizenship in the overseas countries and territories of the EU; Article 349 TFEU as a source of derogations; The implications of Part IV TFEU for the overseas acquis; participatory methods of reappraisal of the relationship between the EU and the overseas; implications for the formation of strategic alliances; voting in European elections; what matters may be referred by courts and tribunals in overseas countries and territories; application of the acquis to the parts of the Member States not controlled by the government or excluded from ratione loci of EU law; interplay of the Treaty provisions and secondary legislation in the overseas; customs union; wholly internal situations; free movement of capital and direct investments in companies; the euro area outside of Europe; duty of loyal cooperation in the domain of EU external action; territorial application of EU criminal law; and territorial application of human rights treaties. Twenty-two leading experts bring their well-informed perspectives to this under-researched but important subject in which, although rules abound and every opportunity to introduce clarity into the picture seems to be present, the situation is far from clear. The book will be welcomed by serious scholars of European Union law and by public international lawyers, as well as by policy-makers and legal practitioners.

This book assesses the state of EU law fifty years after the Communities were established, contributing to the debate on the European Constitution.

Since the 1957 Rome Treaty, the European Union has changed dramatically - in terms of its composition, scope and depth. Originally established by six Western European States, the EU today has 28 Members and covers almost the entire European continent; and while initially confined to establishing a "common market", the EU has come to influence all areas of political, economic and social life. In parallel with this enormous geographic and thematic expansion, the constitutional and legislative principles underpinning the European Union have constantly evolved. This three-volume study aims to provide an authoritative academic treatment of European Union law. Written by leading scholars and practitioners, each chapter offers a comprehensive and critical assessment of the state of the law. Doctrinal in presentation, each volume nonetheless tries to present a broader historical and comparative perspective. Volume I provides an analysis of the constitutional principles governing the European Union. It covers the history of the EU, the constitutional foundations, the institutional framework, legislative and executive governance, judicial protection, and external relations. Volume II explores the structure of the internal market, while Volume III finally analyses the internal and external substantive policies of the EU.

This book assesses the balancing act between EU free movement law, fundamental EU objectives and Member States' concerns regarding their welfare systems. It takes a novel dual approach: namely combining doctrinal analysis of EU citizenship case law with an examination of mobility data. This allows the study to clearly show an imbalance between the representation and protection of these conflicting interests in EU case law. It goes further, identifying avenues for reform and highlighting the importance of the principle of proportionality for attaining a legitimate balance of interests. In a field in which much has been written, this offers a truly original perspective. It will be much welcomed by scholars of EU free movement and citizenship law.