Common European Legal Thinking emanates from the existence of a shared European legal culture as especially reflected in the existence of a common European constitutional law. It denotes a body of individual constitutional principles – written and unwritten – that represent the common heritage of the constitutions of the Member States. Taking into account the two major European organisations, the Council of Europe and especially the European Union, the essays of this Festschrift discuss a range of constitutional principles, including the rule of law, democracy, and the exercise of political power in a multilevel system which recognises fundamental rights as directly applicable and supreme law. Other essays examine the value of pluralism, the commitment of private organisations to uphold public values, principles or rules, and the objectives and methods of a transnational science of administrative law. These articles highlight the fact that the Ius Publicum Europaeum Commune is “politically” in the making, which can often be seen in the shape of general legal principles. The publication recognises the role of Albrecht Weber as a forerunner of Common European Legal Thinking.

European law, including both civil law and common law, has gone through several major phases of expansion in the world. European legal history thus also is a history of legal transplants and cultural borrowings, which national legal histories as products of nineteenth-century historicism have until recently largely left unconsidered. The Handbook of European Legal History supplies its readers with an overview of the different phases of European legal history in the light of today's state-of-the-art research, by offering cutting-edge views on research questions currently emerging in international discussions. The Handbook takes a broad approach to its subject matter both nationally and systemically. Unlike traditional European legal histories, which tend to concentrate on "heartlands" of Europe (notably Italy and Germany), the Europe of the Handbook is more versatile and nuanced, taking into consideration the legal developments in Europe's geographical "fringes" such as Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. The Handbook covers all major time periods, from the ancient Greek law to the twenty-first century. Contributors include acknowledged leaders in the field as well as rising talents, representing a wide range of legal systems, methodologies, areas of expertise and research agendas.

Marc Jacob analyses in depth the most important justificatory and decision-making tool of one of the world's most powerful courts.

Common European Legal Thinking emanates from the existence of a shared European legal culture as especially reflected in the existence of a common European constitutional law. It denotes a body of individual constitutional principles – written and unwritten – that represent the common heritage of the constitutions of the Member States. Taking into account the two major European organisations, the Council of Europe and especially the European Union, the essays of this Festschrift discuss a range of constitutional principles, including the rule of law, democracy, and the exercise of political power in a multilevel system which recognises fundamental rights as directly applicable and supreme law. Other essays examine the value of pluralism, the commitment of private organisations to uphold public values, principles or rules, and the objectives and methods of a transnational science of administrative law. These articles highlight the fact that the Ius Publicum Europaeum Commune is “politically” in the making, which can often be seen in the shape of general legal principles. The publication recognises the role of Albrecht Weber as a forerunner of Common European Legal Thinking.

A Short History of European Law brings to life 2,500 years of legal history, tying current norms to the circumstances of their conception. Tamar Herzog describes how successive legal systems built upon one another, from ancient times through the European Union. Roman law formed the backbone of each configuration, though the way it was used and reshaped varied dramatically from one century and place to the next. Only by considering Continental civil law and English common law together do we see how they drew from and enriched this shared tradition. “A remarkable achievement, sure to become a go-to text for scholars and students alike... A must-read for anyone eager to understand the origins of core legal concepts and institution—like due process and rule of law—that profoundly shape the societies in which we live today.” —Amalia D. Kessler, Stanford University “A fundamental and timely contribution to the understanding of Europe as seen through its legal systems. Herzog masterfully shows the profound unity of legal thinking and practices across the Continent and in England.” —Federico Varese, Oxford University “Required reading for Americanists North and South, and indeed, for all of us inhabiting a postcolonial world deeply marked by the millennia of legal imaginings whose dynamic transformations it so lucidly charts.” —David Nirenberg, University of Chicago

Since its formation the European Union has expanded beyond all expectations, and this expansion 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. EU law, always controversial, continues to perplex, not least because it remains difficult to analyse. What is the EU? An international organization, or a federation? Should its legal concepts be measured against national standards, or another norm? The Oxford Handbook of European Union Law illuminates the richness and complexity of the debates surrounding the law and policies of the EU. Comprising eight sections, it examines how we are to conceptualize 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 summarizes, analyses, and reflects on the state of play in a given area, and suggests how it is likely to develop in the foreseeable future. Written by an international team of leading commentators, this Oxford Handbook creates a vivid and provocative tapestry of the key issues shaping the laws of the European Union.

This ambitious book examines the historical, theoretical, and axiological foundations of European legal culture, and explores their practical impacts on current European law and legal ways of thinking in Europe. Including considerations about the history of law as well contemporary legal issues, the book consists of seven chapters authored by scholars from across the globe, from Italy to Taiwan. This volume shows that it is possible to speak of one European legal culture in terms of various countries’ common legal origins (Roman law, Greek philosophy, and medieval jurisprudence as the ius commune), while also discussing distinct national legal cultures and traditions in Europe. However, to understand the present day law and legal profession, it is necessary to go back to the values, theories, and thinkers which were influential in the progress of European law from ancient times to the 19th century. The book not only presents the theoretical and historical issues of European legal culture, but also acquaints the audience with the true axiological foundations of our contemporary legal institutions, and the methods of legal thinking in Europe. It is clear that many of our current legal concepts and institutions come from theorists such as Aristotle, Ulpian, Aquinas, Hobbes and Savigny. The book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of legal history, jurisprudence, and European law, especially in the context of the origins of European legal culture. Moreover, it will also appeal to all lawyers working in both the common law and the civil law traditions wishing to gain a greater understanding of European legal heritage.