This book offers the first overarching examination of constitutional pluralism. Comprehensively mapping out the leading contributions to date and solving the complicated labyrinth they currently form, Klemen Jaklic offers a complete assessment against existing and new criticisms while elaborating his own original vision.
Constitutional pluralism has become immensely popular among scholars who study European integration and issues of global governance. Some of them believe that constitutionalism, traditionally thought to be bound to a nation state, can emerge beyond state borders - most importantly in the process of European integration, but also beyond that, for example, in international regulatory regimes such as the WTO, or international systems of fundamental rights protection, such as the European Convention. At the same time, the idea of constitutional pluralism has not gone unchallenged. Some have questioned its compatibility with the very nature of law and the values which law brings to constitutionalism. The critiques have come from both sides: from those who believe in the 'traditional' European constitutionalism based on a hierarchically superior authority of the European Union as well as from scholars focusing on constitutions of particular states. The book collects contributions taking opposing perspectives on constitutional pluralism - some defending and promoting the concept of constitutional pluralism, some criticising and opposing it. While some authors can be called 'the founding fathers of constitutional pluralism', others are young academics who have recently entered the field. Together they offer fresh perspectives on both theoretical and practical aspects of constitutional pluralism, enriching our existing understanding of the concept in current scholarship.
Rejecting current arguments that international law should be 'constitutionalized', this book advances an alternative, pluralist vision of postnational legal orders. It analyses the promise and problems of pluralism in theory and in current practice - focusing on the European human rights regime, the European Union, and global governance in the UN.
This insightful book assesses the theory of constitutional pluralism in light of the events of the Eurozone crisis of the past decade. Based on an analysis of how national courts reviewed the crisis response mechanisms and participated in the European-level political process, Tomi Tuominen argues that constitutional pluralism is not a valid normative theory of European constitutionalism.
For almost a decade the European Union has been stuck in a permanent crisis. Starting with domestic constitutional crises, followed by an imported financial crisis, it has evolved into a fully formed political crisis. This book argues that none of the crises are exclusively internal to the EU and the responses to date, which have taken inward looking approaches, are simply inadequate. Resolution can only come when the EU engages more fully with transnational law. This highly topical book offers an innovative dual focus on both transnational and EU law together. It sets out the relationship between the two frameworks by exploring practical concrete problems that transnational law has posed to the EU. These problems are explored from the perspective of four key tenets of both systems, namely the rule of law, democracy, the protection of human rights, and justice. It does this by advancing the theoretical framework of principled legal pluralism. In so doing it offers clear normative guidance as to how the relationship between EU and transnational law should be developed and fostered.
The last fifty years has seen a worldwide trend toward constitutional democracy. But can constitutionalism become truly global? Relying on historical examples of successfully implanted constitutional regimes, ranging from the older experiences in the United States and France to the relatively recent ones in Germany, Spain and South Africa, Michel Rosenfeld sheds light on the range of conditions necessary for the emergence, continuity and adaptability of a viable constitutional identity - citizenship, nationalism, multiculturalism, and human rights being important elements. The Identity of the Constitutional Subject is the first systematic analysis of the concept, drawing on philosophy, psychoanalysis, political theory and law from a comparative perspective to explore the relationship between the ideal of constitutionalism and the need to construct a common constitutional identity that is distinct from national, cultural, ethnic or religious identity. The Identity of the Constitutional Subject will be of interest to students and scholars in law, legal and political philosophy, political science, multicultural studies, international relations and US politics.
'At times when so much attention is devoted to the constitutional architecture of the European Union via Treaty amendments or supplements in the aftermath of the Euro-crisis, the core business of European market building through harmonization is all too often neglected. It deserves strong recognition that Isidora Maleti forcefully brings Art. 114 TFEU back to the agenda. Her competent study provides new insights into the major competence rule which still forms the back bone of European Integration. The constant strive of the EU for embarking on non-trade policies against the half-hearted resistance of the Member States deserves indeed a major study, spelling out the details of the rather complex article. Her comprehensive analysis detects the amazing potential of Art. 114 TFEU as a tool to co-ordinate differences in the understanding of what might be a "high level of protection" and it allows for new ways of co-operation between the EU and the Member States. This finding, which is backed through the analysis of the ECJ case law and the notification procedure of Art. 114 TFEU fits into the overall debate on constitutional pluralism which stays away from a hierarchical understanding of the relationship between the EU legal order and the Member States.' – Hans Micklitz, European University Institute, Italy 'This book is essential reading for anyone seeking an up-to-date and critical understanding of the success of the European Union's approach to market harmonisation.' – Veerle Heyvaert, London School of Economics, UK 'Despite all the buzz around the single currency, the heart of the EU edifice remains the internal market. Isidora Maleti 's book is an outstanding contribution of original scholarship that makes this edifice look more solid than ever. By exploring the theory and practice of the archetype legal basis for EU regulatory action, this book dispels the ubiquitous claim that national derogations from European standards are reflective of a weak integration process and convincingly argues that national regulatory differentiation may instead provide opportunities for reflexive learning and risk prevention. The law and policy of harmonisation is European internal market's scholarship at its best and ought to be essential reading to all scholars interested in the dynamics of EU integration.' – Alberto Alemanno, HEC Paris, France and Editor, European Journal of Risk Regulation This innovative book explores the constitutional compromise between the European Union's legislative competence and member states' regulatory autonomy, and analyses the reconciliation of economic integration and welfare protection within the European internal market. It does so through the original lens of article 114 TFEU, the law-making clause underlying the European harmonisation process. Focusing on a critical provision and the controversial derogation mechanism contained therein, the book discusses contemporary, universally fundamental topics, such as risk assessment and related responsibility allocation within the constraints of complex legal frameworks, the preservation of regional regulatory autonomy against the background of centralised legislative norms, and the interaction of economic integration with policy interests like consumer, environmental and health protection. Highlighting the collaborative rather than adversarial value of national deviations from common European measures, the study not only complements the literature available on 'negative integration' of the internal market, but also challenges traditionally accepted axioms, revealing opportunities for risk prevention and legitimacy enhancement stemming from diverse European and national regulatory standards. This detailed book will be of wide international appeal to academics, practitioners, students, judges, policy-makers and officials working within the European Union and government representatives of individual member states, as well as anyone more generally interested in the dynamics of EU integration.
Many political and legal philosophers compare the EU to a federal union and believe its basic laws should be subject to the standards of constitutional law, and thus find it lacking or incomplete. This book proposes a rival theory: that the substance of EU law is not constitutional, but international, and provides a close examination of the treaties and the precedents of the European courts to explore this concept further. Just like international law, EU law applies primarily to the relations between member states, who have democratically chosen to adapt their constitutional arrangements in order to share legislative and executive powers with their partners. The legal architecture of the European Union is thus best understood under a theory of dualism and not pluralism. According to this 'internationalist' view, EU law is part of the law of nations and its distinction from domestic law is a matter of substance, not form. This arrangement is supported by a cosmopolitan theory of international justice, which we may call progressive internationalism. The EU is a union of democratic peoples, freely organizing their interdependence on the basis of principles of equality and reciprocity. Its central principles are not the principles of a constitution, but cosmopolitan principles of accountability, liberty, and fairness. Presenting an 'internationalist' reading, this book proposes that the EU is a creation of the law of nations, and argues for a dualist account of its legal architecture, with EU law and domestic law allocated different institutional roles.
The Research Handbook on Legal Pluralism and EU Law explores the diversity of phenomenon of overlapping legal systems within the European Union, the nature of their interactions, and how they deal with the difficult question of the legal hierarchy between them. The contributors reflect on the history, sociology and legal scholarship on constitutional and legal pluralism, and develop this further in the light of the challenges currently facing the EU.