The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has long been recognized as a major engine behind the European integration project for its role in passing judgments expanding the powers and scope of the European Community, while member states have consistently reacted negatively to judgments limiting their sovereignty or granting the Community new powers. It is this interplay between the Court and member state interests that cause the ECJ to pose a threat to the future of integration. Using a combined framework of neofunctionalism and rational choice new institutionalism, six landmark cases and the events surrounding them are studied, revealing the motivations behind the Court’s and member states’ actions. From the analysis of these cases is created a set of criteria which can be used to predict when the ECJ will make an activist decision broadening the powers of the Community at the expense of the member states as well as when, and how, member states will respond negatively.

The topic of the thesis are CILFIT criterions. These criterions were established by the Court of Justice of the European Union as conditions for application of the acte clair doctrine by national courts of last resort. The conditions determine situations in which such a court does not have an obligation under Article 267/3 to bring a matter before the Court of Justice. First of all, thesis describes the historical circumstances, which gave rise to the CILFIT case as well as the facts of that issue. Then it analyses one by one CILFIT criterions and also current procedure of submitting preliminary questions as a whole. As a part of the analysis, it focuses on the practical application of the abovementioned conditions by the courts of the Member States. It targets purely theoretical ideas too. The thesis, further, identifies certain problematic aspects of the CILFIT conditions. Subsequently, some possible solutions are being suggested and their effectiveness and appropriateness are being examined.

The main objective with the thesis was to analyze institutional change in the European Union pre-and-post financial debt crisis, with particular focus on the roles of the Parliament, the Commission, the Council as well as the Court of Justice. To attain the objective, the thesis intended to answer the subsequent queries; (i) what notable institutional changes were brought in the European Union pre-and-post financial debt crisis; (ii) what role did the Parliament, the Commission, the Council and the Court of Justice play pre-and-post financial debt crisis; were their roles enhanced by the financial debt crisis? In order to attain the objective, the thesis utilized an institutional analysis and development framework. This theoretical framework relied on a qualitative content analysis.  The results of the thesis exhibit that the European Union’s progression route was not free from crises. With the Union’s expansion, more decisions ought to be taken by the four institutional bodies. The role of the European institutional bodies resulted in various institutional changes with the establishment of the Treaty of Lisbon; from having a normative power to encompass an executive one. The Treaty of Lisbon also changed the decisionmaking procedure to an ordinary legislative procedure. Apropos decision-making, the Treaty of Lisbon also enhanced the Council and the Parliament’s role pre-financial debt crisis by making the Parliament and Council equal in the new co-decision procedure. The role of the Council has been dynamic since its formation, while the role of the three other institutions could somewhat vary throughout the pre-financial debt crisis. With regards to institutional change after the financial debt crisis, the results reveal that institutional changes occurred mainly in economic and fiscal policies, for instance strengthening the EMU with the intergovernmental Treaty on Stability and Coordination and Governance. Whilst the Treaty of Lisbon brought more supranationalism in the European Union, the period after the financial debt crisis rather celebrated intergovernmentalism in the Union. The role of the Council was dynamic even post-financial debt crisis, decreasing the role of the Commission in the agenda setting. However, with the introduction of the Six-Pack and the Banking Union, the Commission and the Parliament’s role became evidently enhanced, whilst the Court of Justice, did not play a key role in the financial debt crisis.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans la nouvelle histoire du droit européen en proposant les résultats de recherches biographiques sur les premiers juges, avocats généraux et greffier qui ont fait fonctionner la Cour de Justice de l'Union européenne pendant les vingt premières années de son existence (1952 - 1972). Il s'agit tout d'abord de mettre en lumière les parcours professionnels et personnels des pionniers de la juridiction et des hommes qui ont prononcé certains de ses jugements les plus connus, ceux qui ont lancé le processus de « constitutionnalisation » de l'ordre juridique communautaire. Ensuite, il s'agit d'utiliser les résultats de ces recherches biographiques pour apporter, sur trois points précis, des éléments de réponse à une question qui intéresse depuis deux décennies en particulier les politistes - et de manière plus récente, les historiens: comment cette institution réussit-elle, à partir des années 1960, à autant limiter la souveraineté des Etats membres, en posant notamment le principe de primauté du droit européen, et cela sans semble-t-il être confrontée à de sérieuses résistances de la part des dirigeants des Etats membres ? Cette thèse analyse tout d'abord le processus de nomination des juges et des avocats généraux, afin de savoir si les gouvernements tentent, ou non, via le mécanisme de sélection de mettre un terme à sa jurisprudence audacieuse. Puis, elle étudie les convictions européennes des membres de la Cour et leur vision du rôle qu'ils doivent jouer dans le processus d'intégration. Enfin, elle s'intéresse au réseau politique des hommes de la juridiction européenne et leurs interactions officieuses avec les dirigeants des Etats membres. / This Ph.D. thesis contributes to the new history of European law by proposing the results of in-depth biographical research on the first judges, advocates general and registrar who worked at the European Court of Justice during the first twenty years of its existence (1952 - 1972). Firstly, it sheds new light on the professional and personal trajectories of the Court's pioneers and of those who pronounced some of its most commented judgments, those who laid the foundation of the 'constitutionalization' of the European legal order. Secondly, it leans on the collected biographical data in order to bring to the surface new elements of knowledge on three precise points with regard to a question which political scientists have been interested in for two decades - and which now also historians address: how did the European Court of Justice, from the 1960s onwards, succeed in seriously limiting the Member States' sovereignty, especially by imposing the principle of primacy of European law, without provoking a rebellion by national decision-makers? It first of all analyzes the nomination process of the first judges and advocates general, in order to establish whether governments did, or did not, use the appointment mechanism to curb down ECJ activism. It then studies the members of the Court's views and convictions with regard to European integration and their role in the European Communities. Finally, it looks at the political affiliations of the first members of the Court of Justice and their unofficial interactions with national decision-makers.

The thesis is devoted to the most relevant cases of European Court of Justice in the field of direct taxation and their influence on national tax policies. Different member states are willing to implement the law of European Union at different levels. The thesis evaluate the impact of ECJ cases on national tax systems of France and The Netherlands. It has several parts. First part describes historical milestones in coordination of direct taxation, second part describes the ECJ and its function and structure. Follows the analysis of most important cases. Last part evaluate the impact of cases on French and Dutch tax system.

No description available.

The aim of my master thesis is to analyze hindrances to free movement of workers both from the theoretical point of view and in relation to the European Court of Justice cases. In the first part of the thesis I summarize the development of European integration and general principles of free movement of persons. Then the attention is paid to free movement of workers itself. The definition of a worker, primary and secondary legislation governing free movement of workers and the scope of free movement of workers are presented as well. Moreover, derogations from the principle of free movement of workers are discussed. The next part of the thesis is dedicated to the description of the European Court of Justice, its composition and various types of proceedings. In the last part of the thesis the most significant ECJ cases concerning hindrances to free movement of workers are selected and analyzed.

EGMR und EuGH stehen grundsätzlich gleichberechtigt und autonom nebeneinander. Beide verstehen sich als Hüter der Grund- und Menschenrechte auf europäischer Ebene und als Kontrollinstanzen. Sie urteilen aber beide auch auf Grundlage der EMRK. Für den EGMR ist dies die originäre Rechtsgrundlage, während der EuGH mangels eines geschriebenen Grundrechtskatalogs aus ganz unterschiedlichen Rechtsquellen schöpft. Zudem ist er nicht zwingend an eine vom EGMR gewählte Auslegung einer EMRK-Norm gebunden. Diese Situation begünstigt die Möglichkeit divergierender Entscheidungen beider Gerichtshöfe bezüglich ein- und derselben EMRK - Norm und letztendlich auch die Entwicklung unterschiedlicher Grundrechtsschutzniveaus in Europa. Diese Arbeit möchte einen Weg aufzeigen, wie eine derartige Entwicklung vermieden werden kann. / ECHR and ECJ stand in principle equally and autonomously side by side. Both courts understand themselves as guardians of the basic rights and human rights on a european level. However, they both judge also on the basis of the European Charta on Human Rights. For the ECHR, this is the original legal-basis, whereas the ECJ, due to the lack of a written privilege-catalog, developes basic rights from quite different legal-sources. Moreover, it is not necessarily tied to an interpretation of an ECHR-Norm chosen by the EGMR. This situation favors the possibility of diverging decisions of both courts concerning the same ECHR - norm and ultimately the development of different privilege-protection-levels in Europe. This work would like to show a way how a such a development can be avoided.

Teisė kreiptis į teismą yra esminė individo subjektinių teisių apsaugos sąlyga. Tas pats pasakytina ir apie asmenims suteikiamas teises Bendrijos teisės sistemoje. Europos Teisingumo Teismas (ETT) turi išimtinę teisę atlikti Europos Bendrijos institucijų priimtų aktų teisėtumo priežiūrą. Be to, ETT pavesta aiškinti EB teisės nuostatas. Šiuo metu tiesioginio kreipimosi į ETT ribos, vadovaujantis EB Sutarties 230(4) straipsniu, yra griežtai apribotos. Todėl netiesioginis kreipimasis į ETT, pasinaudojant preliminaraus nutarimo procedūra, valstybių narių nacionaliniuose teismuose tapo bene labiausiai paplitusiu ir dažniausiai naudojamu teisinės gynybos keliu asmenims, siekiantiems apginti savo teises ir teisėtus interesus, kuriuos laiduoja EB teisė. Teisingumo Teismas savo praktikoje yra ne kartą pažymėjęs, kad preliminaraus nutarimo procedūra laikytina alternatyva tiesioginio ieškinio padavimo procedūrai pagal EB Sutarties 230 straipsnio 4 dalį ir tuo būdu akcentavęs EB Sutartimi įtvirtintos teisinių priemonių sistemos universalumą. Vis dėlto ETT vėlesnėje praktikoje netiesiogiai pripažino, kad ši Bendrijos teisėje įtvirtinta teisinių gynybos priemonių sistema nėra tokia ideali, kokios norėtųsi, ir kartu nurodė valstybėms narėms pareigą panaikinti joje egzistuojančius trūkumus ir spragas. Pagrindinė preliminaraus nutarimo procedūros problema yra ta, kad ji nėra tiesiogiai prieinama individams, o skirta valstybių narių nacionaliniams teismams. Pastariesiems suteikta teisė... [to full text] / Access to court is essential for the protection of all rights of individuals. The same holds true for the rights individuals derive from Community law. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is the only court competent to review the legality of acts of the Community institutions. In addition, the ECJ has the last word on the interpretation of Community law. The direct access for individuals to the ECJ, pursuant to Article 230(4) EC, is strictly limited. Thus, the indirect access to the Court through national courts by means of the preliminary ruling procedure has become the most common procedural route for individuals. The Court has repeatedly indicated this procedure as an alternative to Article 230(4) EC and has emphasised the completeness of the system of remedies of the EC Treaty. Although in the last jurisprudence the ECJ has indirectly admitted that the system of remedies is not as complete as it should be and has appealed to the responsibility of the Member States to amend the system. The main problem with the preliminary ruling procedure is that it is not a matter of right for individuals. It is up to the national court to decide whether or not to seek a preliminary ruling and how to phrase the questions submitted to the ECJ. National courts “against whose decisions there is no judicial remedy” are obligated to refer questions of Community law to the ECJ, but the Court has ruled that this duty is not absolute. Apparently it happens that these limitations, and the... [to full text]

Laisvo pacientų judėjimo Europos Teisingumo teismo jurisprudencijoje tema yra aktuali, kadangi Europos Teisingumo teismui tenka pagrindinis vaidmuo kilus abejonėms dėl Europos Bendrijos taisyklių taikymo srities, jų taikymo atskirais atvejais ir jų išaiškinimo nacionalinės teisės aktų atžvilgiu. Tema yra nauja, kadangi darbe nagrinėjamos naujausios Europos Teisingumo teismo bylos pacientų judėjimo srityje, analizuojamas jų poveikis Lietuvos teisės aktams, reglamentuojantiems gydymąsi užsienyje. Tiriama problema – laisvo asmenų judėjimo kliūtys ES bei nacionalinės teisės lygmenyje. Magistro baigiamojo darbo tyrimo objektas – laisvas pacientų judėjimas ETT jurisprudencijoje. Magistrinio darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti ETT jurisprudencijos įtaką laisvam pacientų judėjimui ES, EEE šalyse bei Šveicarijoje, jos pagrindu sukurti praktines rekomendacijas Lietuvos teisės aktų, reglamentuojančių laisvą pacientų judėjimą, tobulinimui. Uždaviniai: atskleisti laisvo pacientų judėjimo sampratą; išanalizuoti ETT jurisprudenciją pacientų judėjimo srityje; įvertinti ETT jurisprudencijos poveikį Lietuvos teisei; remiantis atlikta analize, pateikti savo vertinimus ir pasiūlymus Lietuvos teisės aktų pacientų mobilumo srityje tobulinimui. Hipotezė: ETT jurisprudencija sąlygoja pacientų mobilumo didėjimą; laisvą pacientų judėjimą ES reglamentuojantys nacionaliniai teisės aktai yra tobulintini vadovaujantis suformuota ETT praktika. Darbe naudoti mokslinio tyrimo metodai: loginis, lingvistinis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The theme of this Master’s thesis is relevant since the European Court of Justice plays the main role when there are doubts concerning application area of the European rules, their application in individual cases, and their explication with regard to the national legislation. The subject is new as new cases from the European Court of justice and their implication on the Lithuanian legislation regulating treatment abroad are analyzed. Obstacles of free patient movement at the level of the European Union and at the national level comprise the problem of this thesis. The object of this research is free movement of patients in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice. The aim of this Master’s work was to analyze the impact of jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice on the free mobility of patients in the countries of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland, and on the basis hereof to create practical recommendations for the improvement of the Lithuanian legislation in the patient mobility area. Hypothesis: jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice stimulates movement of patients; national legislation regulating free movement of patients within the European Union must be improved on the basis of the practice of the European Court of Justice. The following scientific research methods were applied: logical, linguistic, systemic analysis, documentary, analysis of the scientific methodologic literature. Results. 7 new cases since 2004 from the... [to full text]