Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The General Bridging Clauses of Article 48(7) TEU

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Bridging Clauses in European Constitutional Law

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Law ((BRIEFSLAW))

  • 296 Accesses

Abstract

The first main chapter of the study is dedicated to the substantial law of the general bridging clauses of Article 48(7) TEU. We will first define the scope of application of the general passerelles. This includes identifying when these clauses can be used and which written and unwritten exceptions exist. Moreover, we will take a look at the relationship between the two general bridging clauses and the legal effects of the use of these clauses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The second subparagraph does not apply to the Common Foreign and Security Policy anyway, which is covered by the TEU, as the adoption of legislative acts is excluded in this policy area (Article 24(1)(2), sentence 3, and Article 31(1)(1), sentence 2, of the TEU) and hence no legislative procedure applies (cf. Article 289(3) TFEU).

  2. 2.

    See also Hofstötter, in von der Groeben et al. (2015), Artikel 51 EUV, para. 8; Dörr, in Grabitz et al. (2011), Artikel 51 EUV, para. 27.

  3. 3.

    Waldhoff, in Calliess and Ruffert (2016), Artikel 311 AEUV, para. 5; see also Bieber, in von der Groeben et al. (2015), Artikel 311 AEUV, para. 14, according to whom the own resources decision, as decision implementing the Treaties, is hierarchically inferior to primary law but due to its binding character on the institutions superior to ordinary secondary law.

  4. 4.

    Winkler, in Grabitz et al. (2012), Artikel 353 AEUV, para. 11; cf. also Franzius, in Pechstein et al. (2017), Artikel 353 AEUV, para. 5.

  5. 5.

    Cf. on this European Court of Justice, Opinion 2/94, Accession to the ECHR, opinion of 28 March 1996, ECLI:EU:C:1996:140, para. 30; Rossi, in Calliess and Ruffert (2016), Artikel 352 AEUV, para. 74.

  6. 6.

    Cf. Böttner (2016a), p. 506.

  7. 7.

    With the exception of the Proposal for a Council Regulation on the exercise of the right to take collective action within the context of the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services, COM(2012) 130 of 21 March 2012, that was withdrawn by the Commission when it became clear that it would not find unanimous support of the Member States.

  8. 8.

    Böttner (2016a), p. 506; Cremer, in Calliess and Ruffert (2016), Artikel 353 AEUV, para. 4; Schorkopf, in Grabitz et al. (2011), Artikel 354 AEUV, para. 6.

  9. 9.

    Meng, in von der Groeben et al. (2015), Artikel 353 AEUV, para. 4.

  10. 10.

    Franzius, in Pechstein et al. (2017), Artikel 353 AEUV, para. 3.

  11. 11.

    Cf. Martenczuk, in Grabitz et al. (2015), Artikel 17 EUV, para. 10–14; Adam, in Tizzano (2014), Articolo 293 TFUE, para. II.1.

  12. 12.

    Cf. Stancanelli, in Curti Gialdino (2012), Articolo 293 TFUE, p. 2104; Adam, in Tizzano (2014), Articolo 293 TFUE, para. II.1; Härtel (2006), § 18 para. 9.

  13. 13.

    Böttner (2016b), p. 107.

  14. 14.

    Cf. Hetmeier, in Lenz and Borchardt (2012), Artikel 293 AEUV, para. 4.

  15. 15.

    Böttner (2016b), p. 114 f.

  16. 16.

    Exceptions are Article 23(2) and Article 182(4) TFEU, which provide for the adoption of a legislative act by the Council according to a special legislative procedure, without, however, requiring unanimity in the Council. As a result, the Council in these cases will act by the default voting rule of qualified majority according to Article 16(3) TEU. The same is true for Article 311(4) TFEU, but the application of the general bridging clauses of Article 48(7) TEU shall be excluded. Likewise, Article 312(2)(1) TFEU provides for the adoption of a legislative act by the Council, acting unanimously in accordance with a special legislative procedure, but the application of Article 48(7) TEU shall be excluded. However, a special bridging clause applies that allows at least a transition to qualified majority voting in the Council. For the adoption of the act provided for in Article 314 TFEU, a special legislative procedure with qualified majority voting in the Council shall apply, but the act is not adopted by the Council, but in cooperation with the European Parliament.

  17. 17.

    Böttner (2016a), p. 509; Peers (2012), p. 46; with a different view Öhlinger and Potacs (2014), p. 26.

  18. 18.

    While the Council may adopt decisions by qualified majority vote once a bridging clause is activated, one should note, however, that according to Article 293(1) TFEU the Council will still need unanimity to amend a Commission proposal. See on this Böttner (2016b), p. 113.

  19. 19.

    German Federal Constitutional Court, 2 BvR 2728/13 et al., Treaty of Lisbon, judgment of 30 June 2009, ECLI:DE:BVerfG:2009:es20090630.2bve000208, para. 316; Streinz et al. (2010), p. 53 f.; Cremer, in Calliess and Ruffert (2016), Artikel 48 EUV, para. 12.

  20. 20.

    German Federal Constitutional Court, 2 BvR 2728/13 et al., OMT, judgment of 21 June 2016, ECLI:DE:BVerfG:2016:rs20160621.2bvr272813, para. 131.

  21. 21.

    Wendel (2011), p. 225.

  22. 22.

    Peers (2012), p. 41 f.; Böttner (2016a), p. 503.

  23. 23.

    Grard, in Burgorgue-Larsen et al. (2007), Article IV-444, para. 2.

  24. 24.

    German Federal Constitutional Court, 2 BvR 2728/13 et al., Treaty of Lisbon, judgment of 30 June 2009, ECLI:DE:BVerfG:2009:es20090630.2bve000208, para. 309; Terhechte (2008), p. 169; Granat (2016), p. 73; Böttner (2016a), p. 501.

  25. 25.

    The recital of the legal act should read, for example:

    Having regard to Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 194(3) thereof, as modified by Decision No. xxx/2017 of the European Council

    (…) On 3 October 2017 the European Council adopted the Decision No. xxx/2017 on the basis of Article 48(7) of the Treaty on European Union, providing that decisions under Article 194(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union shall henceforth be subject to the ordinary legislative procedure.

  26. 26.

    See Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 on the role of national Parliaments in the European Union and Article 3 of Protocol No. 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. See also Böttner (2016c), p. 510 f. The parliamentary scrutiny of drafts of other legal (i.e. non-legislative) acts has its basis in national law.

  27. 27.

    See, with regard to the European Council decision amending Article 136 TFEU, European Court of Justice, Case C-370/12, Pringle, ECLI:EU:C:2012:756, para. 33 ff.; see also Nettesheim (2006), p. 742; Böttner (2016a), p. 509. Cf. also Czech Constitutional Court, Pl. US 19/08, Treaty of Lisbon I, decision of 26 November 2008, ECLI:CZ:US:2008:Pl.US.19.08.1, para. 162 ff.

References

  • Böttner R (2016a) The treaty amendment procedures and the relationship between Article 31(3) TEU and the general bridging clause of Article 48(7) TEU. Eur Const Law Rev 499–521

    Google Scholar 

  • Böttner R (2016b) Ein scharfes Schwert der Kommission? Überlegungen zu Artikel 293 AEUV. Europarecht 105–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Böttner R (2016c) Eine Idee lernt laufen—zur Praxis der Verstärkten Zusammenarbeit nach Lissabon. Zeitschrift für europarechtliche Studien 501–549

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgorgue-Larsen L, Levade A, Picod F (eds) (2007) Traité établissant une Constitution pour l’Europe, Partie I et IV. Bruylant, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • Calliess C, Ruffert M (eds) (2016) EUV/AEUV, 5th edn. C.H.Beck, Munich

    Google Scholar 

  • Curti Gialdino C (ed) (2012) Codice dell’Unione europea operativo. TUE e TFUE commentati articolo per articolo. Simone, Naples

    Google Scholar 

  • Grabitz E, Hilf M, Nettesheim M (eds) (2009 ff.) Das Recht der Europäischen Union: EUV/AEUV. loose leaf. C.H.Beck, Munich

    Google Scholar 

  • Granat K (2016) Interparliamentary cooperation and the simplified revision procedures. In: Lupo N, Fasone C (eds) Interparliamentary cooperation in the composite European constitution. Hart, Oxord, pp 73–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Härtel I (2006) Handbuch Europäische Rechtsetzung. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenz C-O, Borchardt KD (eds) (2012) EU-Verträge, Kommentar. Bundesanzeiger Verlag, Bonn

    Google Scholar 

  • Nettesheim M (2006) Normenhierarchien im EU-Recht. Europarecht 737–772

    Google Scholar 

  • Öhlinger T, Potacs M (2014) EU-Recht und staatliches Recht, 5th edn. LexisNexis, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Pechstein M, Nowak C, Häde U (eds) (2017) Frankfurter Kommentar zu EUV, GRC und AEUV. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen

    Google Scholar 

  • Peers S (2012) The future of EU Treaty amendments. Yearb Eur Law 17–111

    Google Scholar 

  • Streinz R, Ohler C, Herrmann C (2010) Der Vertrag von Lissabon zur Reform der EU, 2nd edn. C.H.Beck, Munich

    Google Scholar 

  • Terhechte JP (2008) Der Vertrag von Lissabon: Grundlegende Verfassungsurkunde der europäischen Rechtsgemeinschaft oder technischer Änderungsvertrag? Europarecht 143–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Tizzano A (ed) (2014) Trattati dell’Unione europea. Guiffrè, Milan

    Google Scholar 

  • von der Groeben H, Schwarze J, Hatje A (eds) (2015) Europäisches Unionsrecht, 7th edn. Nomos, Baden-Baden

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendel M (2011) Permeabilität im europäischen Verfassungsrecht. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. German University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer, Germany

    Robert Böttner

  2. Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jan Grinc

Authors
  1. Robert Böttner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Grinc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Böttner .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Böttner, R., Grinc, J. (2018). The General Bridging Clauses of Article 48(7) TEU. In: Bridging Clauses in European Constitutional Law. SpringerBriefs in Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73341-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73341-8_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-73340-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73341-8

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation