Suchergebnisse

The European Court of Justice is one of the most important actors in the process of European integration. Political science still struggles to understand its significance, with recent scholarship emphasizing how closely rulings reflect member states' preferences. In this book, I argue that the implications of the supremacy and direct effect of the EU law have still been overlooked. As it constitutionalizes an intergovernmental treaty, the European Union has a detailed set of policies inscribed into its constitution that are extensively shaped by the Court's case law. If rulings have constitutional status, their impact is considerable, even if the Court only occasionally diverts from member states' preferences. By focusing on the four freedoms of goods, services, persons, and capital, as well as citizenship rights, the book analyses how the Court's development of case law has ascribed a broad meaning to these freedoms. The constitutional status of this case law constrains policymaking at the European and member-state levels. Different case studies show how major pieces of EU legislation cannot move beyond case law but have to codify its principles. Judicialization is important in the EU. It also directly constrains member-state policies. Court rulings oriented towards individual disputes are difficult to translate into general policies, and into administrative practices. Policy options are thereby withdrawn from majoritarian decision-making. As the Court cannot be overruled, short of a Treaty change, its case law casts a long shadow over policymaking in the European Union and its member states, undermining the legitimacy of this political order.

The European Court of Justice is one of the most important actors in the process of European integration. Political science still struggles to understand its significance, with recent scholarship emphasizing how closely rulings reflect member states' preferences. In this book, I argue that the implications of the supremacy and direct effect of the EU law have still been overlooked. As it constitutionalizes an intergovernmental treaty, the European Union has a detailed set of policies inscribed into its constitution that are extensively shaped by the Court's case law. If rulings have constitutional status, their impact is considerable, even if the Court only occasionally diverts from member states' preferences. By focusing on the four freedoms of goods, services, persons, and capital, as well as citizenship rights, the book analyses how the Court's development of case law has ascribed a broad meaning to these freedoms. The constitutional status of this case law constrains policymaking at the European and member-state levels. Different case studies show how major pieces of EU legislation cannot move beyond case law but have to codify its principles. Judicialization is important in the EU. It also directly constrains member-state policies. Court rulings oriented towards individual disputes are difficult to translate into general policies, and into administrative practices. Policy options are thereby withdrawn from majoritarian decision-making. As the Court cannot be overruled, short of a Treaty change, its case law casts a long shadow over policymaking in the European Union and its member states, undermining the legitimacy of this political order.

Verlagsinfo: Susanne Schmidt and Raymund Werle present three case studies from the telecommunications industry to highlight the actors, the process, the politics, and the influence exerted by international organizations in the construction of standards. Few modern technologies are designed to stand alone. Because most machines must now fit into systems and be compatible with other technologies, the creation of standards has become a fundamental element of design and engineering. Conflicts such as the "color television war" of the 1970s and recent disputes over high-definition television (HDTV) highlight the complexities of the standard-setting process. Susanne Schmidt and Raymund Werle present three case studies from the telecommunications industry to highlight the actors, the process, the politics, and the influence exerted by international organizations in the construction of standards. The case studies include the standards for facsimile terminals and transmission, videotex (a service that, with the exception of the French Minitel service, largely failed), and for electronic mail. The authors follow each trail from the realization by certain actors of the need for a standard, through the complex negotiation processes involving many economic, political, and social interests, to the final agreement on a standard. Throughout their stories, they emphasize the institutional embeddedness of these processes, demonstrating the value of an institutionalist approach to technology studies.

Zur Vermessung des 'Zwischenlandes' wurde mir als Politikwissenschaftlerin das Thema Öffentlichkeit überantwortet, insbesondere mit Hinblick auf die Frage, wo die Grenzen des Sagbaren zu verorten sind. Hierzu will ich zunächst einen Überblick über den Forschungsstand zur Öffentlichkeit und der Politisierung des Integrationsprozesses geben, bevor ich frage, was die veränderte öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit und Einstellung zur europäischen Integration für unser Thema: "Politik und Recht im Zwischenland" bedeutet. Überlegungen zu den "Grenzen des Sagbaren" schließen meinen Beitrag ab.

Abstract
Weitgehend unbemerkt von der Öffentlichkeit spielt sich derzeit eine außergewöhnliche Auseinandersetzung zwischen den Regierungsgewalten in der Bundesrepublik ab. Es geht um die sogenannte Armutsmigration in der Europäischen Union, also die soziale Absicherung von nicht-erwerbstätigen EU-Bürgern.
Zur besseren Lesbarkeit benutze ich das generische Maskulinum.
Ihr genereller Ausschluss aus dem Arbeitslosengeld II war europarechtlich lange umstritten, bis ihn der Europäische Gerichtshof Ende 2014 billigte. Die Rechtsprechung in der deutschen Sozialgerichtsbarkeit blieb dennoch heterogen, da das Bundessozialgericht eine Absicherung über die Sozialhilfe aus dem Grundgesetz herleitete. Diese Frage bleibt in der Gerichtsbarkeit strittig, obwohl der Gesetzgeber zwischenzeitlich Ansprüche verneinte. Der Beitrag erklärt diese Auseinandersetzung innerhalb und zwischen den deutschen Staatsgewalten mit einem existierenden europäischen Regelungsdefizit. Die europäische Koordinierung der Sozialversicherung sichert das weitgehend durch den Europäischen Gerichtshof gestaltete europäische Freizügigkeitsrecht nur unzureichend ab. Vergleichende Fallstudien von Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen und Bremerhaven zeigen die kommunalen Schwierigkeiten, dieses europäische Regelungsdefizit zu bearbeiten. Unterschiedliche Strategien können die Probleme auf dieser Ebene nicht lösen. Die aus den legislativen Vorgaben ausbrechende Rechtsprechung der Sozialgerichtsbarkeit, so das Argument, ist Ausdruck dieser Notlage.