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This book presents a conceptual framework for analysing the definitions of State aid and subsidy in EC and WTO law. This is done through a comparative analysis, examining the coherence of the conceptual understanding of the crucial, but still elusive, issue of the definition of subsidy. The first, important finding is that the topic is not only technical but raises more fundamental questions about the objectives of subsidy control in a given legal system and, more radically, about the goals of that system itself. The analysis does not only concentrate on the state of the law but critically looks forward, offering suggestions for new interpretations and law reform. The book focuses on the substantive provisions of the EC and WTO relating to what are identified by the author as the core properties of a notion of subsidy, i.e., a form of public action, the grant of an economic advantage and the ensuing impact on the competitive process. The current regulation in EC and WTO law is analysed, compared, and assessed in depth, and tested against a baseline represented by a notion of subsidy inserted in a subsidy regulation pursuing certain objectives. Drawing on the results of the comparative exercise, the book argues that both systems can learn valuable lessons from each other to achieve a greater coherence and a more efficient regulatory system.

The book presents a coherent doctrinal construction of the EC Treaty provisions on free movement of capital in a third-country context with a focus on direct investment. The respective regime applicable to intra-Community capital movement serves as a point of reference and a benchmark and, thus, is also part of a substantial review. The central question of the study is: What rights does a private market participant, engaged in cross border direct investment originating from or directed to a non EC Member State, enjoy by virtue of Article 56 EC et seqq.? The book argues that in principle, the provisions on free movement of capital apply the same liberal standards irrespective of whether intra-Community or third country direct investment is involved. Hence, those who participate in third country direct investment enjoy essentially the same guarantees by virtue of the provisions on free movement of capital as those active in intra-Community direct investment. The book's subject matter is highly topical and of considerable relevance. Currently, neo protectionist ideas are on the rise within the Member States of the EC. The Member States face considerable problems in acclimating themselves to increasing inward direct investment originating from developing and emerging market countries. Scepticism increases, at times bordering on irrational blunt hostility, if an investment is placed by a so called sovereign wealth fund headquartered in an emerging market. Political opinion after a very emotional debate has been strong enough that some Member States have started tightening their regulatory framework on foreign direct investment. However, such protectionist regulatory measures restricting the admission and treatment of foreign direct investment cannot be imposed ad libitum. They must be measured against the freedom of capital movement.

The prominence of the Advocate General is one of the most distinctive and controversial features of the European Court of Justice. The Advocate General and EC Law is the first comprehensive study of the Advocate General and his role in the development of EC Law. In Part I, the book examines the history of the role, the questions over its future, and the role's importance in the procedures of the Court. In Part II, the book analyses the contribution of some of the most influential Advocates General to the development of specific aspects of Community law, including Francis Jacobs on intellectual property, Walter van Gerven on discrimination, and Jean Pierre Warner on competition procedure. In Part III, the book explores the contributions of a range of Advocates General to specific principles of Community Law, including state liability, direct effect, and the concept of citizenship. This book offers a unique perspective on politics of the European Court of Justice — one of the driving forces behind closer European integration.

The 1999 Treaty of Amsterdam expanded significantly the legal competence of the European Union for combatting discrimination. Traditionally, EU law has concentrated on discrimination between women and men and discrimination on the grounds of EU nationality. However, Article 13 EC created a new legal space for the Union to regulate discrimination on the ground of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation. This book aims to improve our understanding of the evolution of European Union law in the field. To this end, it considers the development of EU law and policy in respect of two specific grounds of discrimination — race and sexual orientation. It provides an account of the debate within the institutions and Member States, analysis of relevant case law from the Court of Justice, and coverage of the anti-discrimination directives adopted in 2001. The book further considers the relationship between national and European anti-discrimination law. A survey of national anti-discrimination statutes is presented in order to identify the variety of legal traditions that exist in this field. The diversity of these legal cultures impacts significantly upon the scope for and nature of EU anti-discrimination legislation. The author concludes by reviewing the principle factors that have influenced the evolution of EU anti-discrimination law and applying this to an analysis of the prospects for future development.

This volume provides an in-depth analysis of the relationship between intellectual property rights (including patents, trade marks, copyright, and designs) and the law of the European Union. It examines the conflict between intellectual property rights (exclusive rights limited normally to the territory of a single Member State) and the principle of free movement of goods and services in the internal market. The various tests and theories propounded by the European Court of Justice in attempting to resolve that conflict are explained from a critical standpoint. The ramifications of the exhaustion-of-rights principle are explored and chapters of this volume are devoted to trade marks, patents, and copyright. Finally, the volume examines the limitations on the exercise of intellectual property rights as a result of EC competition law.

The book examines the law of the free movement of goods and services. These two freedoms are fundamental to the European Community's internal market and form the basis for an ever-increasing number of economic transactions as the markets of the Member States become more integrated. The book focuses in particular on the relationship between freedoms, asking whether the same principles can be applied in both fields. The book begins by analyzing the economics of trade in goods and services, and the general legal background. The aim is to establish whether goods and services ought, as a matter of principle, to be treated similarly by Community economic law. The book then moves on to investigate whether the European Court of Justice has in practice applied similar principles in both areas. This is examined in three contexts: the scope of the freedoms, the author of the restrictions, and the issue of the justifications are all analyzed. In the case of a divergent approach, the reasons for the differences are explored, and the possibilities for a uniform solution are investigated. The book also tackles some general questions of EC law. The nature of the internal market is discussed in the context of the scope of the freedoms. The questions posed are whether the internal market is unitary or federal in character and how the theory of regulatory competition should affect the interpretation of the Treaty free movement rules. The relationship between competition law and free movement provisions is addressed in the context of private restrictions to free movement of goods and services. The discussion of the proportionality of restrictions offers a chance to examine the division of power between the courts and legislatures.

In almost all fields of cooperation that are covered by the EC Treaty, the formal competence to adopt legislation has been assigned to the Council (which must normally collaborate with the European Parliament), and in order to separate powers, the formal competence to prepare the necessary proposals (the right to initiate legislation), has been assigned to the European Commission. Over the years, however, it has become clear that the reality is far more complex. This book examines the fact that the Council is now passing an increasing part of the responsibility for adopting legislation to the Commission, subject to the requirement that it has to collaborate with a vast number of committees that consist of representatives of the various national administrations. This is known as comitology. Comitology provides the Council and national governments with a mechanism for controlling the Commission, and so comitology is often thought to manifest a conflict of interests. The book argues that, despite much support in principle for this assumption, in practice comitology does not give rise to the kinds of conflicts many expect or fear. It contends that in fact comitology appears to be a fruitful cooperation between the national administrations and the Commission. The book explains how and why comitology has developed, explores the nature of comitology and examines its present and future place in the legal order of the European Union.

EC State aid law represents an increasingly important part of EC competition law. The case law at national and European levels is growing rapidly, both in quantity and importance. Significant and increasingly frequent legislative and regulatory measures have been adopted at the European level in this field. There are various reasons for this developing EU focus on public intervention in the economy, however the fundamental and primary rationale is the completion of the internal market, and the pressure which that brings for liberalization and privatization. This volume analyses the concept of aid and examines fundamental questions concerning the scope of State aid law. It also offers a comparison with World Trade Organization (WTO) provisions on subsidies and looks at EEA and applicant states' State aid regimes. It then focuses upon selected areas of State aid law and policy. The final part of the book is devoted to an assessment of the system of remedies and enforcement both at the European Union and national level. The contributors to this volume come from a wide variety of backgrounds: they include academics, practitioners, the judiciary, and Government representatives at both national and EU level.

The Law Lords in ‘Factortame’ based their acceptance of the supremacy of European Community law on an ‘entirely voluntary’ surrender of sovereignty by Parliament. This book tells the story, from the parliamentary perspective, of how Parliament's sovereignty came to be lost. It charts the evolution of MPs' constitutional understandings by analyzing the parliamentary debates on UK attempts to join the Community, the passage of the 1972 Act, and the approval of subsequent Treaty revisions. The book's pervasive theme is the transformation from a UK constitution based on politics to one based increasingly on law. It assesses the extent to which MPs understood that EC membership entailed a shift in power from legislature to courts. This is a study with profound implications for the legitimacy of Parliament as a law-making body. The book also offers two comparisons. First the understandings of British MPs are contrasted with those of Irish parliamentarians, to establish whether Ireland's more law-based constitutional culture had an effect on politicians' understandings of EC implications. Secondly, the book analyses the history of the Bill of Rights debate culminating in the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998, to investigate whether (and why) themes of parliamentary sovereignty and judicial empowerment were clearer in this context than in the EC context.