Rule of law is considered as a constitutional principle of the European Union (EU) which is the basis for both internal and external actions of the Union. The European Commission as the guardian of the treaties has a key role in ensuring adherence of the principle in the EU. The courts within the EU, member states and particularly the CJEU play a key role in safeguarding this principle. Rule of law has however come under threat in a few member states, which has forced the Commission to commence proceedings to prevent escalation of the situation.
This contribution looks into the importance of rule of law as key principle of the EU and the mechanisms which have been used to uphold it in the internal and external actions of the EU. It concludes with a discussion on the importance of rule of law as a core value for EU’s international agreements as highlighted by Opinion 1/17 of the CJEU.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
