CYIL 2014

THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AVENUES OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION… THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AVENUES OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: A WAY FORWARD FOR THE ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION? Abstract: This contribution is focused on the recent trend to complement the legal system of the EU, namely in the area of the Monetary and Economic Union (EMU), by intergovernmental treaties concluded by the EU Member States outside the Union’s legal framework. The article looks first at the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism (the ESM Treaty) and the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in Economic and Monetary Union (the Fiscal Treaty). Then it deals with the legal challenges raised against the intergovernmental instruments before the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in case C-370/12 Pringle (compatibility with EU law) and before the German Federal Constitutional Court in case 2 BvR 1390/12 (compatibility with German constitution). Finally, the future possibilities of incorporating the intergovernmental instruments into the EU acquis are considered, which might require a revision of EU primary law. Resumé: Tento příspěvek je zaměřen na nedávný trend doplňovat právní řád EU, zejména v oblasti Hospodářské a měnové unie (HMU), mezivládními smlouvami sjednanými členskými státy EU mimo právní rámec Unie. Článek se nejprve zabývá Smlouvou o zřízení Evropského mechanismu stability (EMS) a Smlouvou o stabili tě, koordinaci a správě v hospodářské a měnové unii (Fiskální smlouva). Dále je po jednáno o právních námitkách proti mezivládním instrumentům vzneseným před Soudním dvorem EU ve věci C-370/12 Pringle (slučitelnost s právem EU) a před Spolkovým ústavním soudem ve věci 2 BvR 1390/12 (slučitelnost s německou ústa vou). Nakonec jsou zvažovány možnosti inkorporace mezivládních instrumentů do unijního acquis, což by mohlo vyžadovat revizi primárního práva EU. Key words: European Union, Monetary and Economic Union, intergovernmental treaties, international law, EU legal framework, European Stability Mechanism, Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in Economic and Monetary Union (Fiscal Treaty), Court of Justice of the European Union, German Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), EU primary law. On the Author: Emil Ruffer was born in Prague in 1974. He graduated from Charles University, Faculty of Law, in 2001. He also read English and American Literature at Charles University, Faculty of Arts. From 1996 to 1997 he studied European Law and Politics at Cardiff Law School under the Tempus (PHARE) programme; for the 1 The author is the Director of the EU Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (MFA). However, the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily correspond with the official position of the MFA and do not bind this institution in any way. Emil Ruffer 1

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