Research Handbook on General Principles in EU Law: Constructing Legal Orders in Europe(Research Handbooks in European Law series)

This innovative Research Handbook explores judicial, scholarly, and theoretical approaches to general principles in the EU legal order against the backdrop of considerable uncertainty about the concept. It does so by analysing both a diverse range of general principles in discrete areas of EU law (‘zooming in’) and external, wider perspectives on the notion of a general principle of law from international law, comparative law, and legal theory (‘zooming out’). Rather than arguing for a single closed definition of what a general principle of law in the EU legal order must look like, this Research Handbook identifies conceptual, theoretical, and legal parameters within which the doctrine of general principles can be meaningfully discussed and contested in EU law. The different analytical layers built into this Research Handbook shed light on whether general principles are defined by the different contexts in which they apply; whether general principles are in practice leading to more coherence between different areas of EU law; and what challenges they create for the EU legal order. Chapters thus contribute to a more refined methodological and doctrinal understanding of general principles in the EU legal order. Opening up new spaces to critically reflect on the concept, role, significance, and limitations of general principles, the Research Handbook on General Principles in EU Law will be a key resource for scholars and students of European law, politics, and theory of integration and internationalisation.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction to the Research Handbook on General Principles in EU Law 1 Katja S. Ziegler, Päivi J. Neuvonen and Violeta Moreno-Lax PART I FOUNDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW 1 General principles in the EU legal order: past, present and future directions 7 Päivi J. Neuvonen and Katja S. Ziegler 2 General principles of law: treaty, historical, and normative foundations 25 Paul Craig 3 Harmonisation through general principles of law 40 Andreas von Arnauld 4 The use of substantive international law by the EU judiciary 62 Alexander Orakhelashvili 5 General principles of EU law and comparative law 82 Giuseppe Martinico PART II COMPETENCES 6 The equality of the Member States 99 Monica Claes 7 Loyalty and solidarity as general principles 118 Marcus Klamert 8 The principle of institutional balance: rise, eclipse and revival of a general principle of EU constitutional law 136 Sébastien Platon PART III STRUCTURAL AND FORMAL CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES 9 Four functions of the principle of primacy in the post-Lisbon case law of the European Court of Justice 157 Clara Rauchegger 10 The horizontal application of the general principles of EU law: nothing less than direct effect 173 Nicole Lazzerini 11 The principle of proportionality in EU law and its domestic application: ni tout à fait le même, ni tout à fait un autre 191 Eirik Bjorge and Jan Zglinski 12 General principles of procedural justice 209 Simona Demková and Herwig C.H. Hofmann 13 Autonomy of the EU legal order – a general principle? On the risks of normative functionalism and selective constitutionalisation 227 Violeta Moreno-Lax and Katja S. Ziegler PART IV CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDING VALUES 14 Liberty and democracy as fundamental constitutional principles of EU law 254 Dora Kostakopoulou 15 The general principle of equality as a value commitment in EU law: scope, limits, and challenges 267 Päivi J. Neuvonen 16 The rule of law as the constitutional foundation of the general principles of EU law 287 Theodore Konstadinides 17 General principles: taking rights seriously and waving the rule-of-law stick in the European Union 308 Xavier Groussot and Johan Lindholm 18 Human rights and general principles: beyond the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights 327 Katja S. Ziegler and Aristi Volou PART V EQUAL TREATMENT AND NON-DISCRIMINATION 19 General principles of equal treatment in EU non-discrimination law 350 Christa Tobler 20 General principle of equality between men and women 366 Jule Mulder PART VI FREE MOVEMENT AND INTERNAL MARKET 21 General principles in free movement law: applicability and application 386 Jukka Snell 22 The prohibition of abuse of EU law: a special general principle 401 Graham Butler and Karsten Engsig Sørensen 23 General principles of EU law in EU antitrust 422 Max Hjärtström and Julian Nowag 24 General principles in EU state aid law 440 Oana Stefan 25 General principles in EU public procurement law 461 Sylvia de Mars PART VII PRIVATE LAW 26 The many (general) principles of EU private law 480 Lucinda Miller 27 General principles of EU corporate and insolvency law 498 Federico M. Mucciarelli PART VIII AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE 28 General principles and EU criminal law 512 Ester Herlin-Karnell 29 Mutual trust as a driver of integration: which way forward? 529 Cristina Sáenz Pérez 30 Data protection and general principles of EU law 544 Wouter van Ballegooij 31 The child’s best interests as a gap filler and expander of EU law in internal situations 562 Iris Goldner Lang PART IX EXTERNAL RELATIONS 32 EU general principles in external relations: shaping the EU as a global actor and dealing with its accountability 575 Anne Thies 33 The external dimension of the principle of conferral: division of competences in international trade 592 Ewa Żelazna 34 General principles in EU common foreign and security policy 606 Ramses A. Wessel Index

About the Author :
Edited by Katja S. Ziegler, Sir Robert Jennings Professor of International Law, Co-Director, Centre of European Law and Internationalisation (CELI), University of Leicester, UK, Päivi J. Neuvonen, Assistant Professor in European Law, Durham University, UK, Co-Director of the Durham European Law Institute (DELI) and Docent in European Law, University of Helsinki, Finland and Violeta Moreno-Lax, Professor of Law and co-founder of the Centre for European and International Legal Affairs (CEILA), Queen Mary University of London, UK and Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium

Review :
‘The appeal of general principles lies in their capacity to provide a systematic framework according to which to develop a legal order. And yet does this not suggest an abstract, even illusory, claim to coherence? Where anyway do general principles come from? This book does a wonderfully rich job of navigating the many contexts in which general principles play a role in EU law, and provides a critical account of their several functions.’ ‘This is an appealing and comprehensive volume with an attractive line-up of authors and topics on a subject which is of perennial interest to European Union lawyers, namely the general principles of EU law. Touching on key questions of the relationship between national constitutional orders and the EU legal order, the role of the Court of Justice, and the sources of fundamental rights in EU law, the book is likely to be of considerable interest and utility to students and academics of European public law.’