El estado de derecho en la UE: significado, desafíos y perspectivas de futuro

Abstract

Este trabajo examina el papel que juega el Estado de Derecho en la UE, destacando que no solamente es un principio que debe regir la actuación de las instituciones de la UE, sino también las de los estados miembros. Esto explica que el Tribunal de Luxemburgo haya entrado a conocer de las consecuencias para el derecho de la UE de las vulneraciones al Estado de Derecho en los estados miembros. Ahora bien, la necesaria articulación entre las competencias de las autoridades y tribunales nacionales y las autoridades de la UE y, en especial, el Tribunal de Luxemburgo, precisan que exista suficiente confianza mutua entre todas ellas

This paper examines the role of the Rule of Law in the EU, highlighting that the Rule of Law should be respected not only by the EU institutions but also in the member states. This explains that the Luxembourg Court has decided about how the infringements of the Rule of Law within the member states affect the EU legal order. However, the former implies that the EU Court of Justice and the national courts, all of them, have competence in disputes relating with the implementation of the Rule of Law in the member states. Without a significant level of mutual trust, this situation could cause conflicts between national and EU authorities. The democratic legitimacy of the law issued by the EU is also considered, taking into account the hybrid nature of the EU, in which we can find intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms as well as institutions that directly represent European citizens