Principles of European Constitutional Law

For the time being, the political project of basing the European Union on a document entitled 'Constitution' has failed. The second, revised, and enlarged edition of this volume retains its title nonetheless. Building on a scholarly rather than black-letter law account, the book - now in paperback - shows European constitutional law as it looks following the Treaty of Lisbon, with the EU's foundational treaties mandating the exercise of public authority, establishing a hierarchy of norms, legitimizing legal acts, providing for citizenship, and granting fundamental rights. In this way, the treaties shape the relations between legal orders, between public interest regulation and market economy, and between law and politics. The contributions demonstrate in detail how a constitutional approach furthers the understanding of the core issues of EU law, how it offers theoretical and doctrinal insights, and how it adds critical perspective. Principles of European Constitutional Law is an up-to-date account of the law as it stands today, with specific emphasis on the draft reform treaty. New chapters have been introduced concerning foreign policy, as well as the relationship of US constitutional law to EU constitutional law.

Armin von Bogdandy is director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg.Jurgen Bast is Professor of Public Law and European Law at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.