European Law and National Constitutions (PDF)

The relationship between European law (EC law and EEA law) and national constitutions is a long standing issue of controversial discussion. The occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution of Eidsvoll (Grunnloven), which was enacted in the aftermath of the Kieler Frieden, gave rise to a comparison of four central elements of this relationship in view of the German and Norwegian constitution and in comparison with EEA law and EU law. The eight contributions of this volume analyse the development of statehood, federalism, the rule of law (Rechtsstaatlichkeit) and democracy in the light of the objectives and the reality of European integration. They deal with the inalienable core of German statehood in the course of European integration, the development of Norwegian Constitutionalism in Europe, the German Federation within the structure of Union law and politics, the issue of EEA law as a federal legal order, the relationship between the idea of Rechtsstaatlichkeit and the development of the Norwegian constitution, the aspects of power shifts in the light of democracy and legitimacy in the context of the financial crisis, the relationship between EEA EFTA States and EU Agencies and the constitutional objectives of the European Union.