The European Union and its Court of Justice

The European Court of Justice has played a major role in the development of what is now the European Union, but the way the Court has used its powers has been highly controversial. The new edition of this book examines the contribution of the Court to shaping the legal framework within which the European Union operates. It considers the Court's place among the Union's institutions; its organization and working methods; what its powers are; how it has used those powers to resolve important questions of both constitutional and substantive law; and certain general questions relating to its overall approach. Throughout the book, the implications of the Union's Constitutional Treaty, signed by the Member States in Rome on 29 October 2004, are taken fully into account, as are the possible consequences should the Treaty fail.