The Rule of Law As a Value in the Sense of Article 2 TEU: What Does It Mean and Imply?

Abstract

AbstractThe rule of law is a value on which the European Union is founded, and which shall be respected and observed by its Member States. This value is not merely an ethical standard but a binding legal principle that is applicable to legal disputes under Union law. The treaties, however, do not provide a definition of this principle. From a Union law perspective, it is therefore indispensable to determine the rule of law more precisely; not only is it referred to in treaty law (Article 2 TEU), but understood by Union courts as a constitutional meta-principle that informs other constitutional norms and may justify review proceedings and sanctions against Member States. The Commission Framework to strengthen the Rule of Law of 2014 does not suffice to shape a ‘Union rule of law’. It relies primarily on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Yet, this judicial concept of the rule of law is somehow restricted as it focuses almost exclusively on the role of the judicial branch in the Union’s constitutional system. Common European constitutional traditions, however, show that the core concern of the rule of law is the containment of public authority by institutional arrangements. In view of these traditions and the practice of the Union institutions, including the CJEU, consensus at the Union level might be achieved on the fact that the rule of law comprises not only strictly formal standards, but also material criteria of justice related to the juridical shaping of decision-making processes. These elements of the rule of law are intrinsically linked to fundamental rights and shall ensure that within the scope of Union law any public power is exercised in a non-arbitrary and legitimate way. To this end, the Union rule of law may not only be understood as a formal set of objective norms, but as ensuring the protection of individual rights as well.