The EU as a Confederal Union of Sovereign Member Peoples: Exploring the potential of American (con)federalism and popular sovereignty for a constitutional theory of the EU

This thesis explores a conception of the EU as a modified confederal system of sovereign member peoples and their states. A confederal conception which demonstrates how, contrary to popular belief, European integration does not conflict with sovereignty or democracy. For, properly conceived and constituted, the EU reasserts the sovereignty of the member peoples, and liberates national democracy from the confines of the state. To this end, this thesis reconnects the EU to two classic constructs of constitutional theory: confederalism and sovereignty. Two powerful but unfashionable constructs whose joint potential for European integration remains largely unexplored and undervalued. The primary instrument to explore this potential is comparative. The EU is contrasted with the rather unknown but rich example of the American Articles of Confederation, and their evolution into the now famous American federate system. A comparison with the confederal roots of the United States which is revealing for both confederalism and sovereignty, and illustrates the potential of linking both for a constructive constitutional theory of the EU. A theory which does not have to overcome history and the statal system it has created, but connects with it. A theory, therefore, that may help to recapture the EU and the increasing authority it wields, both in theory and in practise.  The thesis is subdivided in three parts. Part I addresses confederalism. It demonstrates how the constitutional system of the EU combines a confederal foundation with a federate superstructure, and explores the particular strengths, weaknesses and limits of this modified confederal system. Part II discusses sovereignty. It first demonstrates how the EU forms a logical confederal evolution of popular sovereignty, and how European integration does not conflict with sovereignty. Subsequently, it shows how the concept of confederal sovereignty equally helps to dispel the presumed conflict between statism and pluralism, how it respects and conciliates national and EU claims to supremacy, and how it allows a confederal evolution of national democracy, which updates democracy to the global reality it is to control. Part III applies the findings of Part I and II to the EMU crisis and the challenge of establishing an effective democratic foundation for the EU at the national level. An application which demonstrates the concrete and attractive contributions a confederal approach can make to addressing some of the core challenges facing the EU.Book (monograph

Naar een symbiotisch constitutioneel recht voor de EU: de conceptuele, emotionele en juridische ruimte voor legitieme regionale samenwerking

Oratie uitgesproken door Prof.dr.mr. Armin Cuyvers bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van HoogleraarEuropees Recht aan de Universiteit Leiden op vrijdag 9 december 2022Oratie uitgesproken door Prof.dr.mr. Armin Cuyvers bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van Hoogleraar Europees Recht aan de Universiteit Leiden op vrijdag 9 december 2022The progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding value

The legal catch-22 of a CETA-Brexit: either too little or too much to avoid a pretty hard Brexit

The European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator Barnier recently stated that the ‘Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement’ (CETA) between the EU and Canada is the only feasible model left for Brexit. If this is so, it is bad news. Inevitably, a CETA-Brexit will be much closer to a hard Brexit than to the glorious bespoken deal promised by May.This contribution first sets out the problems a CETA-Brexit is supposed to fix, and then outlines several legal reasons why CETA cannot do so.The progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding value

Red de vrijwillige brandweer

The progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding valuesThe Legitimacy and Effectiveness of Law & Governance in a World of Multilevel Jurisdiction

Het Verdrag inzake Stabiliteit, Coördinatie en Bestuur in de Economische en Monetaire Unie: de juridische en constitutionele complicaties van de eurocrisis

Regulering van het internationaal economisch verkee

De professionele vrijwilliger in het Huis van Thorbecke: waarom de vrijwillige brandweer niet op de schop hoeft van het EU-recht

Taakdifferentiatie bij de brandweer lijkt een specialistisch en technisch probleem. Maar de achtergrond en dynamiek ervan zijn fundamenteel en principieel. Het is een voorbeeld van een onnodig uitdijende Europees-rechtelijke logica tot op een niveau waarop praktisch iedereen er ongelukkig van wordt. Wie alleen naar het EU-arbeidsrecht kijkt en wil uitsluiten dat Nederland onder die regels in de problemen komt, moet inderdaad ofwel de brandweervrijwilligers in dienst nemen of hen beter onderscheiden van de beroepskrachten. Wordt echter met bredere Europees-rechtelijke expertise naar deze kwestie gekeken dan ontstaat een ander beeld en komen serieuze argumenten in beeld om, waar nodig voor het HvJ EU, te betogen dat het EU-recht niet eist dat alle brandweervrijwilligers in dienst komen of gelijke arbeidsvoorwaarden krijgen.The Legitimacy and Effectiveness of Law & Governance in a World of Multilevel JurisdictionsThe progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding value

Where soft law meets CILFIT: is a court ever obligated to refer questions on soft law?

The progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding valuesThe Legitimacy and Effectiveness of Law & Governance in a World of Multilevel Jurisdiction

Het dienstenverkeer tussen de EU en het Verenigd Koninkrijk na Brexit

The progression of EU law: Accommodating change and upholding value

Value alignment and public perceived legitimacy of the European Union and the Court of Justice

The present study aims to extend research on the role of values for the perceived legitimacy of legal authorities by focusing on (1) supranational legal authorities and (2) a broad range of values. We examine how (alignment between) people’s personal values and their perception of the values of the European Union (EU) are related to perceived legitimacy of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) and the EU more broadly. Inspired by moral foundations theory, we distinguish between individualizing (i.e., “democracy”, “liberty”, and “fairness”) and binding values (i.e., “rule of law”, “respect for national authority”, and “respect for tradition”). An online survey was conducted in six EU member states (N = 1,136). A factor analysis confirmed a two-factor model (individualizing vs. binding values) for both personal values and perceived EU values. Four regression models were run for each of the value factors, including personal values, perceived EU values, and their interaction, on each of the outcomes (i.e., perceived CJEU and EU legitimacy). Perceived endorsement by the EU of both individualizing and binding values predicted higher legitimacy perceptions of the CJEU and EU. Furthermore, personal binding values had a negative effect on perceived EU legitimacy when participants perceived the EU to weakly support binding values, but a positive effect when the EU was perceived to strongly support binding values. The results suggest that value alignment plays an important role in perceived legitimacy of the CJEU and EU, and that better representing binding values might be a strategy to improve perceived EU legitimacy.Social decision makin