Abstract
The role of fundamental rights in the European Union’s federal community of law alludes first to fundamental rights and second to the idea of a federal community of law. Fundamental rights are collective promises of protection to any individual concerned. What is understood to be fundamental can vary. In a federal community of law, different promisors can compete. The question of the role of fundamental rights in a federal community of law cannot be appropriately addressed without first considering whether the federal category, elaborated by Albrecht Weber in his comprehensive book on European comparative constitutional law, is adequate for the European community of law. Hence, the following observations are divided into three parts: (1) whether the comparative category of a federal community of law is fitting for the European Union; (2) which profiling characteristics of the protection of fundamental rights in the Union have to be discussed from such a comparative view; and (3) what is the prospective role of fundamental rights for the European community of law in relation to the classic transnational market freedoms of the internal market.
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Notes
- 1.
This contribution is based on the German text of a lecture held at the Austrian Constitutional Court in 2013; a German version is separately published.
- 2.
Weber 2010, p. 369 et seq.
- 3.
Jellinek 1900.
- 4.
German FCC, 2 BvE 2/08, 2 BvE 5/08, 2 BvR 1010/08, 2 BvR 1022/08, 2 BvR 1259/08, 2 BvR 182/09 (Judgment of 30 June 2009) para 299 – Lissabon‐Vertrag (in BVerfGE 123, 267): sovereign power, para 344 et seq.: territory, para 346 et seq.: people.
- 5.
Müller‐Graff 2012, A I, para 490 et seq.
- 6.
Weber 2010, p. 343 et seq., p. 369 et seq. (with a comprehensive comparison of the models of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium).
- 7.
Müller‐Graff 2005, p. 105 et seq.
- 8.
Hallstein 1979, p. 51 et seq.
- 9.
Müller‐Graff 2012, A I, para 490 et seq.
- 10.
Art. 98 et seq. of the Bavarian Constitution (1946).
- 11.
Art. 7 of the Constitution of Vorarlberg (1999/2014).
- 12.
See Die Verfassungen der EU‐Mitgliedstaaten (6th edn., 2005).
- 13.
See Art. 6.3 TEU.
- 14.
Art. 9 to 18 of the Constitution of the Canton Zürich (2005).
- 15.
Art. 7 to 36 of the Swiss Constitution (1999/2013).
- 16.
Part the First (Art. I–CVI to XXX) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1780).
- 17.
Bill of Rights (1789/1791).
- 18.
Case 5/88, Wachauf (ECJ 13 July 1989) para 19.
- 19.
Case C‐260/89, ERT (ECJ 18 June 1991) para 42.
- 20.
Case C‐617/10, Åkerberg Fransson (ECJ 26 February 2013).
- 21.
See, e. g., Frenzel 2014, p. 1.
- 22.
Case C‐617/10, Åkerberg Fransson (ECJ 26 February 2013).
- 23.
See Lindner 2008, 786.
- 24.
Case 5/88, Wachauf (ECJ 13 July 1989) para 19.
- 25.
Case C‐260/89, ERT (ECJ 18 June 1991) para 42.
- 26.
Case 6/64, Costa/E.N.E.L. (ECJ 15 July 1964).
- 27.
German FCC, 2 BvR 197/83 (Order of 22 October 1986)–Solange II (in BVerfGE 73, 339 [387]).
- 28.
German FCC, 2 BvE 2/08, 2 BvE 5/08, 2 BvR 1010/08, 2 BvR 1022/08, 2 BvR 1259/08, 2 BvR 182/09 (Judgment of 30 June 2009) para 181 – Lissabon‐Vertrag (in BVerfGE 123, 267 et seqq.); for the development of this jurisprudence see Müller‐Graff 2011, p. 153 et. seq.
- 29.
See above Sect. 1.1.
- 30.
German FCC, 1 BvR 567/89, 1 BvR 1044/89 (Order of 19 October 1993)–Bürgschaftsvertrag (in BVerfGE 89, 214 et seqq.).
- 31.
Case C‐236/09, Test Achats (ECJ 1 March 2011).
- 32.
Monnet 1976, p. 186.
- 33.
See, e. g., Szczekalla 2002; see also Case C‐368/95, Familiapress (ECJ 26 June 1997).
- 34.
In this direction Alston and Weiler 1998, p. 723.
- 35.
Skouris 2006, p. 93.
- 36.
Case C‐280/93, Germany v. Council (ECJ 5 October 1994).
- 37.
Case C‐112/00, Schmidberger (ECJ 12 June 2003).
- 38.
Case C‐617/10, Åkerberg Fransson (ECJ 26 February 2013) para 21.
- 39.
Case 120/78, Cassis de Dijon (ECJ 20 February 1979).
- 40.
Case 376/98, Germany/Parliament and Council (ECJ 5 October 2000).
- 41.
Müller‐Graff 2014a, p. 617 et seq.
- 42.
E. g. Case 15/83, Denkavit Nederland (ECJ 17 May 1984) para 15; Cases C‐154/04 and C‐155/04, Alliance for Natural Health (ECJ 12 July 2005) para 47.
- 43.
Case C‐36/02, Omega (ECJ 14 October 2004).
- 44.
Case C‐112/00, Schmidberger (ECJ 12 June 2003).
- 45.
Case C‐36/02, Omega (ECJ 14 October 2004).
- 46.
Case C‐112/00, Schmidberger (ECJ 12 June 2003).
- 47.
Müller‐Graff 2010, p. 329 et seq.
- 48.
Müller‐Graff 2014b, p. 18.
- 49.
Case C‐415/93, Bosman (ECJ 15 December 1995).
- 50.
Case C‐438/05, Viking (ECJ 11 December 2007).
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Müller-Graff, PC. (2015). The Role of Fundamental Rights in the EU Federal Community of Law. In: Blanke, HJ., Cruz Villalón, P., Klein, T., Ziller, J. (eds) Common European Legal Thinking. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19300-7_15
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