THE RULE OF LAW – AN ESSENTIAL VALUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
THE RULE OF LAW – AN ESSENTIAL VALUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Author(s): Crina Mihaela Verga
Subject(s): Politics and law, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, EU-Legislation, Court case
Published by: Editura Universităţii »Alexandru Ioan Cuza« din Iaşi
Keywords: rule of law; application; European Union; member states;
Summary/Abstract: The rule of law is an essential concept, considering the state's submission to the legal norms established at the national level, being known, over time, under different names: rechtstaat, l'état de légalité, rule of law. The regulation and effective implementation of this principle make the difference between democratic and totalitarian regimes. The present paper aims, first, to define the notion of the rule of law, as well as the requirements that it implies. The aim is then to establish the legal framework of the rule of law in the European Union. The second part of the exposition emphasizes the application and the concrete defense of the analyzed principle by the institutional structures of the European Union. The article is of real importance both for the specialists in the field and especially for the European member states of this regional organization they belong to, states whose fundamental obligation is the adequate application of the demands of the rule of law. The objectives of this article are, on the one hand, to determine the complex content of the concept of the rule of law. On the other hand, the commentary of the various positions, expressed by important Union institutions, regarding the effective defense of the rule of law was pursued.

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