Abstract
During the last few years the influence of the Catholic Church on law-making and government policies in Italy has dramatically increased. The Italian Episcopal Conference established a solid ...alliance with the Centre-Right led by the media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. This political situation favoured the introduction of a number of hyper-conservative policies on ethical matters, from artificial insemination to abortion. In contrast, the influence of the Church was not significant in other key areas such as immigration policy. This article argues that the Church-inspired hyper-conservatism has led to the introduction of considerable restrictions to individual rights and freedoms. This situation is undermining the secular character of the Italian State and the original liberal-democratic inspiration of the Constitution.
This is a legal study of multi-level governance (MLG) in the EU. Earlier legal studies investigated the nature of MLG as a legal principle, suggesting that MLG is a “procedural principle” or a ...“principle of coordination” of the action of governmental and non-governmental actors at various levels within the EU. However, the legal bases of MLG still need to be persuasively identified in EU primary law and in the constitutional laws of the member states, the nature of MLG as a legal principle in the context of the EU requires more compelling evidence, the normative content of MLG needs a more accurate definition, and the practical legal consequences of MLG still need to be clearly determined, especially the application of MLG by Union and national judiciaries. This study looks at these aspects from a legal perspective. It argues that MLG envisages participatory solutions to constitutional problems linked to the position of local and regional authorities in the EU. MLG is normatively linked to the principles
of local and regional autonomy and of subsidiarity. It operationalises these principles in the multi-level context of the EU by envisaging the participation of local and regional authorities in EU decision-making processes and in the implementation of EU law and policy. This study identifies four functions of MLG as a constitutional principle in the EU legal system: (1) the epistemological function concerning the nature of the EU, (2) the de iure condendo function, (3) the behaviour-shaping function, and (4) the interpretation-shaping function. MLG as a legal principle shall also guide the interpretation and application of
the law by the courts, and particularly the Court of Justice of the EU, in relation to the enforcement of the principle of subsidiarity, the enforcement of participation rights of local and regional authorities, and the locus standi of local and regional authorities in direct challenges to EU acts in Union courts.
Rad se bavi temom višerazinskog upravljanja u Europskoj uniji s pravnog aspekta. Prijašnja istraživanja bavila su se višerazinskim upravljanjem kao pravnim načelom navodeći na zaključak da je riječ o proceduralnom načelu ili načelu koordinacije poteza koje povlače sudionici vladinog i nevladinog sektora na različitim razinama unutar EU-a. Ipak, primarno zakonodavstvo EU-a i ustavna zakonodavstva država članica tek trebaju uvjerljivo prepoznati pravne temelje višerazinskog upravljanja. Ono kao pravno načelo u kontekstu EU-a
zahtijeva uvjerljivije dokaze, njegov normativni sadržaj valja preciznije definirati, a i jasno odrediti konkretne pravne posljedice, posebice njegovu primjenu u sudstvu EU-a i nacionalnim sudstvima država članica. Ovaj se rad bavi tim pitanjima s pravnog gledišta te zastupa stav da višerazinsko upravljanje predviđa participativna rješenja za ustavne probleme vezane uz položaj lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u EU. Ono je normativno povezano s načelom lokalne i
regionalne autonomije i načelom supsidijarnosti te se u višerazinskom kontekstu EU-a operacionalizira predviđanjem sudjelovanja lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u procesima odlučivanja na razini EU-a, kao i u primjeni zakona i politika EU-a. Rad izdvaja četiri funkcije višerazinskog upravljanja kao ustavnoga načela u pravnom sustavu EU-a. To su: (1) epistemološka funkcija koja se bavi prirodom EU-a, (2) funkcija de iure condendo, (3) funkcija oblikovanja postupanja,
i (4) funkcija oblikovanja tumačenja. Kao pravno načelo ono će tako-
đer usmjeravati sudove, posebice Europski sud pravde pri tumačenju i primjeni zakona koji se odnose na provođenje načela supsidijarnosti i prava na sudjelovanje lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti, kao i na locus standi lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u izravnom sukobu sa zakonima EU-a u postupcima koji se vode pred sudovima EU-a.
This is a legal study of multi-level governance (MLG) in the EU. Earlier legal studies investigated the nature of MLG as a legal principle, suggesting that MLG is a "procedural principle" or a ..."principle of coordination" of the action of governmental and non-governmental actors at various levels within the EU. However, the legal bases of MLG still need to be persuasively identified in EU primary law and in the constitutional laws of the member states, the nature of MLG as a legal principle in the context of the EU requires more compelling evidence, the normative content of MLG needs a more accurate definition, and the practical legal consequences of MLG still need to be clearly determined, especially the application of MLG by Union and national judiciaries. This study looks at these aspects from a legal perspective. It argues that MLG envisages participatory solutions to constitutional problems linked to the position of local and regional authorities in the EU. MLG is normatively linked to the principles of local and regional autonomy and of subsidiarity. It operationalises these principles in the multi-level context of the EU by envisaging the participation of local and regional authorities in EU decision-making processes and in the implementation of EU law and policy. This study identifies four functions of MLG as a constitutional principle in the EU legal system: (1) the epistemological function concerning the nature of the EU, (2) the de iure condendo function, (3) the behaviour-shaping function, and (4) the interpretation-shaping function. MLG as a legal principle shall also guide the interpretation and application of the law by the courts, and particularly the Court of Justice of the EU, in relation to the enforcement of the principle of subsidiarity, the enforcement of participation rights of local and regional authorities, and the locus standi of local and regional authorities in direct challenges to EU acts in Union courts.
This publication compares for the first time how the regions in seven different countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) are involved in EU governance. It is also the ...first book which tackles this matter from two different perspectives, that of EU law and that of comparative law. It includes contributions both from well-established scholars in the field of EU law and from younger scholars.
Rad se bavi temom višerazinskog upravljanja u Europskoj uniji s pravnog aspekta. Prijašnja istraživanja bavila su se višerazinskim upravljanjem kao pravnim načelom navodeći na zaključak da je riječ o ...proceduralnom načelu ili načelu koordinacije poteza koje povlače sudionici vladinog i nevladinog sektora na različitim razinama unutar EU-a. Ipak, primarno zakonodavstvo EU-a i ustavna zakonodavstva država članica tek trebaju uvjerljivo prepoznati pravne temelje višerazinskog upravljanja. Ono kao pravno načelo u kontekstu EU-a
zahtijeva uvjerljivije dokaze, njegov normativni sadržaj valja preciznije definirati, a i jasno odrediti konkretne pravne posljedice, posebice njegovu primjenu u sudstvu EU-a i nacionalnim sudstvima država članica. Ovaj se rad bavi tim pitanjima s pravnog gledišta te zastupa stav da višerazinsko upravljanje predviđa participativna rješenja za ustavne probleme vezane uz položaj lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u EU. Ono je normativno povezano s načelom lokalne i
regionalne autonomije i načelom supsidijarnosti te se u višerazinskom kontekstu EU-a operacionalizira predviđanjem sudjelovanja lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u procesima odlučivanja na razini EU-a, kao i u primjeni zakona i politika EU-a. Rad izdvaja četiri funkcije višerazinskog upravljanja kao ustavnoga načela u pravnom sustavu EU-a. To su: (1) epistemološka funkcija koja se bavi prirodom EU-a, (2) funkcija de iure condendo, (3) funkcija oblikovanja postupanja,
i (4) funkcija oblikovanja tumačenja. Kao pravno načelo ono će tako-
đer usmjeravati sudove, posebice Europski sud pravde pri tumačenju i primjeni zakona koji se odnose na provođenje načela supsidijarnosti i prava na sudjelovanje lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti, kao i na locus standi lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti u izravnom sukobu sa zakonima EU-a u postupcima koji se vode pred sudovima EU-a.
The Federal Republic of Germany was the only federal state among the founding Members of the European Communities. The solutions to the problems raised through the participation of the German ...federate entities, the Länder, in European law- and policy-making and their role in the implementation of Community law have thus found in Germany an original “workshop”.
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