The effectiveness of European Community law is probably the most distinguishing feature of this unique legal order in contrast with classic international law. By contrast, the effectiveness
of European Economic Area law (EEA Law), the way this other even more sui generis legal system providescomparable rights for EFTA-EEA citizens, is a silent revolution brought by the EFTA Court that has not been properly researched and exposed in the fi eld of European law. This book addresses fi rst the relationship between Community law and national systems following the doctrine of the effet utile or effectiveness as established by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The main contribution of the book is to describe how the EFTA Court has managed, in its fi fteen years of existence, to assure the same effectiveness of EEA law in this parallel legal order.
The book summarizes and explain the basic principles governing the relationship between EEA law and the national legal systems while searching for similarities and differences with EC law. These questions are explored from a European perspective in order to help students, scholars, practitioners and other professionals understand the effectiveness of European law, the special relationship between the Community/EEA legal orders with the national legal systems when the enforcement of European rights and the judicial protection of individuals are at stake.
M. Elvira Méndez-Pinedo is Associate Professor of European
Law (EC and EEA law) at the Law Faculty of the University of
Iceland.
Acknowledgements vii
Contents ix
List of Common Abbreviations in EC and EEA Law xvi
Introduction 3
part 1 The Effectiveness of European Law (1); Creating Rights and Fundamental Principles for the Exercise of those European Rights
1 Introduction 13
2 Effectiveness of European Community law in the national legal orders; The jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice 17
3 Effectiveness of European Economic Area law in the national legal orders; The jurisprudence of the EFTA Court 21
chapter 1 Fundamental Principles; The Protection of Individual Rights
1 EC Law as a supranational and distinct legal system 27
2 EEA law as a sui generis legal order (not supranational) 28
3 EEA Law; General observations and fundamental principles 30
4 EEA Law; The role of the jurisprudence of the EFTA Court 33
5 The protection of the individual rights; EC procedural law 35
6 The protection of the rights of individuals in EEA Law; EEA procedural law 37
6.1 The jurisdiction of the EFTA Court 37
6.1.1 Actions for breach of contract 38
6.1.2 Actions for annulment 38
6.1.3 Actions for failure to act 39
6.1.4 Actions for compensation 39
6.1.5 Advisory Opinions 40
6.1.6 Interim measures 40
6.2 The jurisdiction of the ECJ on EFTA and EEA matters 41
6.3 The protection of individual rights 41
7 Conclusions 45
chapter 2 The Classic Doctrines of Primacy and Direct Effect in EC Law
1 General observations 51
2 The doctrine of primacy/supremacy of EC law (Case Costa v. Enel) 52
3 The doctrine of direct effect of EC law (Case Van Gend en Loos) 57
3.1 General observations 57
3.2 Direct effect and Treaty provisions (primary legislation) 59 ec and eea law
3.3 International Agreements with third countries 61
3.4 Direct effect and secondary legislation 62
3.4.1 Regulations and Decisions 62
3.4.2 Recommendations and Opinions 62
3.4.3 Directives 63
3.4.5 Vertical effect of Directives 64
3.4.6 Horizontal effect of Directives 65
3.5 Other EU law 67
4 Supremacy and direct effect as effectiveness of European law 68
5 Conclusions 69
chapter 3 Other EC Law Doctrines; Direct Applicability and Indirect
Effect of EC Law
1 Direct applicability of EC law (Case Simmenthal) 77
2 Indirect effect of EC law (Cases Von Colson, Marleasing and others) 81
2.1 Case Von Colson 82
2.2 Case Marleasing 83
2.3 Cases Kolpinghuis, Wagner Miret, Promusicae and Pfeiffer 83
3 The principle of loyal cooperation (Article 10 EC Treaty) 85
4 Conclusions 88
chapter 4 EEA Law: A Non-Supranational and ‘Sui Generis’ Legal System
1 Legal sources and legal nature of EEA Law; General observations 93
2 Primacy, applicability and effect of EEA law; Overview 94
3 Legal nature of EEA law; The jurisprudence of the ECJ before the signature of the EEA Agreement 97
3.1 The Opinions 1/91 and 1/92 from the ECJ 99
3.1.1 Facts 100
3.1.2 The Opinions 100
3.1.3 Assessment of the ECJ Opinions 1/91 and 1/92 102
4 The legal nature of EEA law; Case law from the EFTA Court and the ECJ after the EEA Agreement 104
5 Conclusions 108
chapter 5 The EEA Agreement: A View from Iceland
1 General observations 113
2 Official reports from specially appointed committees on Iceland and the EEA 115
2.1 The Icelandic Constitution and the EEA; Report of the Four ‘Wise Men’ Committee (1992) 115
2.2 The implementation of EEA rules into Icelandic law; Report of the Committee of Specialists (1998) 118
2.3 The functioning of the EEA Agreement; Report of the Committee on Europe (2007) 121
2.4 European integration, Iceland and the EEA; Report of the Committee on Europe (2009) 121
3 A survey of Icelandic literature organised by topics 122
3.1 General observations on the EEA Agreement 122
3.2 The special nature of the EEA Agreement in Iceland 123
3.3 The EEA Agreement and the Icelandic Constitution 126
3.4 The role of the Icelandic Parliament (Alþingi) in EEA law 129
3.5 The protection of fundamental rights in EEA law 130
3.6 The role of the EFTA Court in EEA law 131
3.7 On the role of the national courts under the EEA Agreement: Icelandic jurisprudence 133
3.8 The influence of the ECJ jurisprudence in EEA law and in Icelandic law 136
4 Conclusions 139
chapter 6 ‘Quasi’ Primacy and ‘Quasi’ Direct Effect of EEA Law
1 ‘Quasi-primacy’ of EEA law; Statutory provisions in the EEA Agreement 145
2 ‘Quasi primacy’ of EEA law; Jurisprudence of the EFTA Court (Case Einarsson and Case A) 147
3 ‘Quasi’ direct effect of EEA law; The jurisprudence of the EFTA Court (Case Restamark and Case A) 150
4 Direct effect of EEA law in the EC legal order (Case Opel Austria) 153
5 Assessment of the EFTA Court jurisprudence 154
6 Conclusions 157
chapter 7 Lack of Direct Applicability and Indirect Effect of EEA Law
1 General observations 163
2 Lack of direct applicability of EEA law 163
2.1 The jurisprudence of the EFTA Court (Cases Restamark and Einarsson) 164
2.2 Assessment of the jurisprudence 165
3 Indirect effect of EEA law; Jurisprudence of the EFTA Court (Case Karlsson, Case A) 167
3.1 Jurisprudence from the EFTA Court 167
3.2 Assessment of the jurisprudence 169
4 The duty of loyal cooperation in EEA law 173
5 Conclusions 174
chapter 8 Primacy, Applicability and Effect; Similarities and
Differences between EC and EEA Law
1 Primacy, applicability and effect of EEA law in the contextof the EFTA Court jurisprudence 179
2 The reception of the doctrines of EEA law in the national legal orders; Judicial dialogue 180
2.1 Iceland 180
2.1.1 Case Fagtún 181
2.1.2 Case Erla María Sveinbjörnsdóttir 181
2.1.3 Case Lánasýsla ríkisins 182
2.1.4 Case Einarsson 182
2.1.5 Case HOB vín 182
2.1.6 Case Karlsson 183
2.2 Norway 183
2.2.1 General 183
2.2.2 Primacy and effect of EEA law – Indirect effect 184
2.2.3 Case Finanger I 186
2.2.4 Case Finanger II 187
2.3 Liechtenstein 188
3 Homogeneity v. legal autonomy; An academic and legal praxis debate over fifteen years 188
3.1 Homogeneity first; EEA law as very similar to EC law 190
3.1.1 Views on the EEA Agreement from a European perspective; Views from Van Gerven, Sevón and Johansson and Bruha 190
3.1.2 Focus on homogeneity; Icelandic views; Views from Ingvasson, Heimisdóttir and Einarsson 192
3.2 Legal autonomy must prevail; EEA law as very different from EC law 194
3.2.1 The Icelandic constitutional perspective 194
3.2.2 Primacy and effect of EEA law dependent on national law; Views from Stefánsson and Líndal 195
3.2.3 Distinction between formal statutory provisions and pragmatic jurisprudence; Views from Björgvinsson, Tynes and Örlygsson 197
3.3 A current pragmatic view from Norway: Graver 201
3.4 A pragmatic view from the EFTA bench: Baudenbacher 204
4 Conclusions 205
part 2 The Effectiveness of European Law (2); Breaking into Member States’ Law and Creating a European Ius Commune
1 Introduction 211
2 The jurisprudence of the ECJ: creating a new European ius commune 211
3 The jurisprudence of the EFTA Court: does this ius commune include EEA law? 216
chapter 9 State Liability for Breaches of EC Law; Case Law from the European Court of Justice
1 The establishment of the principle of State liability (Cases Francovich, Brasserie/Factortame and others) 221
1.1 The Francovich doctrine 221
1.2 The post-Francovich jurisprudence 225
1.2.1 Cases Brasserie du Pêcheur/Factortame 225
1.2.2 Other cases 227
2 The conditions for State liability in EC law 228
3 Conclusions 232
chapter 10 State Liability for Breaches of EEA Law; Case Law from the EFTA Court
1 General observations 237
2 Case law from the EFTA Court (Cases Erla María, Karlsson, A and Celina Nguyen) 240
2.1 Case Erla María Sveinsbjörnsdóttir 240
2.2 Case Karlsson 244
2.3 Case Criminal proceedings against A 246
2.4 Case Celina Nguyen 247
3 Conclusions 249
chapter 11 Judicial Dialogue in the EEA; The Reception of the Doctrine of State Liability
1 General observations; The judicial dialogue in the EEA 255
2 Case law from the ECJ (Cases Andersson and Rechberger) 256
2.1 ECJ; Case Andersson 257
2.2 ECJ; Case Rechberger 258
3 Other EEA national courts decisions; Sweden, Norway and Iceland (Cases Andersson, Finanger, Erla María and Karlsson) 260
3.1 Sweden; Case Andersson (pre-accession) 260
3.2 Norway; Cases Finanger 262
3.2.1 Case Finanger I 262
3.2.2 Case Finanger II; Judgment of the Oslo Court 263
3.2.3 Case Finanger II; Judgment of the Norwegian Supreme Court 265
3.3 Iceland 266
3.3.1 Case Erla María Sveinbjörnsdóttir 266
3.3.2 Case Karlsson 267
4 Conclusions 269
chapter 12 State Liability in EEA Law; Similarities and Differences in EC and EEA Law
1 General observations; The academic debate 275
2 The principle of State liability for breaches of EEA law; A view from Iceland. 277
3 Differences between EC law and EEA law 286
4 A new ius commune created on the basis of the effectiveness of the European legal order 291
5 Conclusions 293
Final Conclusions
1 On the purpose and scope of the research: comparing the effectiveness of EC and EEA law 299
2 On the EEA Agreement and the EEA legal order 300
3 On the new ius commune created by the jurisprudence of the ECJ 303
4 On the doctrines of EC/EEA law: primacy, effect and applicability of EC/EEA law 304
5 On the doctrine of State liability for breaches of EC/EEA law 305
6 On the new ius commune from the perspective of the EEA law 306
7 On the future of the EEA Agreement; Present challenges 307
Bibliography 310
Table of Cases 328
Table of Legislation 334
Annex 1 338
Index 340