CYIL 2014

199

THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AVENUES OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION…

THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AVENUES OF EUROPEAN

INTEGRATION: A WAY FORWARD FOR THE ECONOMIC

AND MONETARY UNION?

Emil Ruffer

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

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.