Beyond Federal Dogmatics : The Influence of EU Law on Belgian Constitutional Case Law Regarding Federalism.

Intro -- _GoBack -- Foreword -- Reader information and acknowledgments -- Some commonly used abbreviations -- Introduction -- General purpose and method: beyond dogmatics -- General object: federalism -- 1. -- Influence and the toolbox concept: -- Some preliminary considerations pertaining to method -- 1.1 Methodological problems pertaining to the object of the inquiry -- 1.2 The toolbox concept -- 2. -- Belgian federalism: A cursory overview -- 2.1 A doubly stratified federal structure -- 2.2 Bipolar and centrifugal federalism institutionalized -- -- 2.3 The Constitutional Court situated in the Belgian federal system -- 3. -- The Belgian Constitutional Court and federalism -- 3.1 Different ways of examining (case-)law -- 3.2 "Foundational" principles -- 3.2.1 Conferral -- 3.2.2 Material exclusivity -- 3.2.3 Territorial exclusivity -- 3.3 "Incidental" principles in the toolbox -- 3.3.1 Specific "(con)textual" constraints -- 3.3.2 Proportionality -- 3.3.3 Federal loyalty -- 3.3.4 Implied powers -- 3.3.5 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) -- 3.4 Interaction in the Constitutional Court's toolbox -- 4. -- European influence on Constitutional Court case law -- 4.1 Preliminary observations -- 4.2 European law and the Constitutional Court -- 4.3 European law as a streamlining tool -- 4.3.1 European law as a (quasi) political tool for evacuation of conflict -- 4.3.2 European law as an argumentative tool in the context of the EMU -- 4.3.3 European law as an argumentative tool reinforcing cooperation -- 4.4 Rule of law values and the limits of instrumentalization by the Constitutional Court -- 4.4.1 Authoritative texts -- 4.4.2 Precedent -- 4.4.3 Coherence, with the example of coherent EMU-principles -- 4.5 More explanatory value? Two caveats -- 5. -- Three partial explanations and the road ahead.

5.1 Integration of European law in constitutional jurisprudence -- 5.2 The (ever) expanding Europe -- 5.3 Diversity in unity: autonomous concepts -- 5.4 The road ahead -- Conclusion.

The relationship between EU law and national constitutional law, including constitutional law in federalism matters, has been subject to an ongoing scholarly debate. This monograph contributes to this debate in two ways. The author argues for an approach to constitutional law that goes beyond the classic - coined dogmatic - understanding of constitutional case law regarding federalism as expounded in Belgian academia. Building on that basis, he sets out to rethink the framework within which the connection between EU law and national constitutional law can be understood. The analysis delves into the relationship (and sometimes tension) between ‘rule-of-law' values (which may serve as checks upon instrumental forms of reasoning) and the toolbox deployed in constitutional court case law to accommodate several rather pragmatic needs.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.