"Like Ships in the Night": A thesis on the relationship between the EU and international law, and whether the implementation of UNSC Resolutions into the EU legal order has developed a rule of particular customary international law for the EU member states?
(2020) LAGF03 20202Faculty of Law
Department of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Ur ett folkrättsligt perspektiv har EU en säregen karaktär, som gör att Unionen skiljer sig från andra internationella organisationer. Framför allt har EU åstadkommit en höggradig autonomi från såväl det internationella samfundet som medlemsstaternas nationella rättssystem. I doktrinen har anförts att detta skapar ett ”komplext triangulärt förhållande” mellan nationell rätt, EU-rätt och folkrätt.
Denna uppsats fokuserar på normkonflikter som kan uppstå mellan FN-stadgan och primärrättsliga EU-fördrag, när EU implementerar beslut som FN:s säkerhetsråd har fattat på basis av kapitel VII FN-stadgan. Min slutsats är att EU-domstolens banbrytande avgörande Kadi (C-402/05 P) kan sägas ha skapat en partikulär sedvanerättslig regel inom EU,... (More) - Ur ett folkrättsligt perspektiv har EU en säregen karaktär, som gör att Unionen skiljer sig från andra internationella organisationer. Framför allt har EU åstadkommit en höggradig autonomi från såväl det internationella samfundet som medlemsstaternas nationella rättssystem. I doktrinen har anförts att detta skapar ett ”komplext triangulärt förhållande” mellan nationell rätt, EU-rätt och folkrätt.
Denna uppsats fokuserar på normkonflikter som kan uppstå mellan FN-stadgan och primärrättsliga EU-fördrag, när EU implementerar beslut som FN:s säkerhetsråd har fattat på basis av kapitel VII FN-stadgan. Min slutsats är att EU-domstolens banbrytande avgörande Kadi (C-402/05 P) kan sägas ha skapat en partikulär sedvanerättslig regel inom EU, som ger EU:s medlemsstater rätt att prioritera EU-rättens fundamentala principer, skyddade av primärfördragen, framför en resolution av FN:s säkerhetsråd som inkräktar på dessa principer, och därmed vägra att tillämpa resolutionen inom EU. Det är emellertid oklart om denna sedvanerättsliga regel skulle accepteras av det internationella samfundet som ett legitimt skäl för EU-staterna att åsidosätta sina skyldigheter enligt FN-stadgan.
När en resolution av säkerhetsrådet inkräktar på EU-rättens fundamentala principer så sätts medlemsstaterna i en svår sits, eftersom de måste välja om de ska prioritera sina folkrättsliga eller EU-rättsliga förpliktelser. Detta illustrerar komplexiteten i det ”triangulära förhållandet” mellan EU, dess medlemsstater och bindande folkrättsliga normer. (Less) - Abstract
- From an international legal perspective, the EU has a special character which makes it different from other international organizations. Most notably, the EU has a high degree of autonomy from both international law and the member states’ domestic legal systems. In legal doctrine, it has been suggested that this creates a “complex triangular relationship” between domestic law, EU law and the international legal order.
This thesis focuses on normative conflicts which may arise between the UN Charter and primary EU legislation when the EU implements UNSC decisions made on the basis of Chapter VII UN Charter. I argue that the limitations set by the CJEU in the ground-breaking Kadi Case (C-402/05 P) upon Union measures implementing UNSC... (More) - From an international legal perspective, the EU has a special character which makes it different from other international organizations. Most notably, the EU has a high degree of autonomy from both international law and the member states’ domestic legal systems. In legal doctrine, it has been suggested that this creates a “complex triangular relationship” between domestic law, EU law and the international legal order.
This thesis focuses on normative conflicts which may arise between the UN Charter and primary EU legislation when the EU implements UNSC decisions made on the basis of Chapter VII UN Charter. I argue that the limitations set by the CJEU in the ground-breaking Kadi Case (C-402/05 P) upon Union measures implementing UNSC Resolutions, have led to the development of a rule of particular customary law within the EU. The content of this rule is that the EU member states may prioritize fundamental principles enshrined in the primary EU treaties over an UNSC Resolution found to infringe on said principles, and refuse to apply the Resolution within the EU. However, it is uncertain how this rule would be received in the international community, and whether the rule could legitimize the EU member states derogating from their obligations under the UN Charter.
When UNSC Resolutions are found to infringe on fundamental principles of EU law, the EU member states are put in a difficult position, as they have to choose whether to prioritize international or EU law. This highlights the complexity of the “triangular relationship” between the EU, its member states and binding international law. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9033986
- author
- Bungerfeldt, Katarina LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20202
- year
- 2020
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Public International Law, EU Law, Customary International Law, Particular Customary Law, UN Charter, Principle of Prevailing Effect, UNSC, Security Council, Primary Law, Human Rights, Fundamental Principles of EU Law
- language
- English
- id
- 9033986
- date added to LUP
- 2021-02-09 11:52:08
- date last changed
- 2021-02-09 11:52:08
@misc{9033986, abstract = {{From an international legal perspective, the EU has a special character which makes it different from other international organizations. Most notably, the EU has a high degree of autonomy from both international law and the member states’ domestic legal systems. In legal doctrine, it has been suggested that this creates a “complex triangular relationship” between domestic law, EU law and the international legal order. This thesis focuses on normative conflicts which may arise between the UN Charter and primary EU legislation when the EU implements UNSC decisions made on the basis of Chapter VII UN Charter. I argue that the limitations set by the CJEU in the ground-breaking Kadi Case (C-402/05 P) upon Union measures implementing UNSC Resolutions, have led to the development of a rule of particular customary law within the EU. The content of this rule is that the EU member states may prioritize fundamental principles enshrined in the primary EU treaties over an UNSC Resolution found to infringe on said principles, and refuse to apply the Resolution within the EU. However, it is uncertain how this rule would be received in the international community, and whether the rule could legitimize the EU member states derogating from their obligations under the UN Charter. When UNSC Resolutions are found to infringe on fundamental principles of EU law, the EU member states are put in a difficult position, as they have to choose whether to prioritize international or EU law. This highlights the complexity of the “triangular relationship” between the EU, its member states and binding international law.}}, author = {{Bungerfeldt, Katarina}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{"Like Ships in the Night": A thesis on the relationship between the EU and international law, and whether the implementation of UNSC Resolutions into the EU legal order has developed a rule of particular customary international law for the EU member states?}}, year = {{2020}}, }