Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. The tenth edition of EU Law provides a systematic overview of the European institutions and offers thorough, wide-ranging coverage of the key substantive law topics, including separate chapters on competition, discrimination, environmental law and services. Incisive analysis of the governing themes and principles of EU law is consistently delivered, while chapter summaries, critical questions, and further reading suggestions help to guide the reader through the subject and support further research. Topics covered also include supremacy and direct effect, the European Courts and general principles, free movement of goods and persons, and citizenship.

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This chapter considers the EU’s relationship with third countries and international organisations. It discusses the legal basis and competence for the EU’s external action and offers examples of how the EU exercises this competence. This is followed by an overview of the types of agreements the EU enters into with third countries with a discussion on the treaty arrangements with Switzerland, the EEA (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the UK. It then considers the EU’s relationship with a selection of international organisations.

This chapter examines the law and policy on competition in the European Union. It discusses the economic theories underpinning competition protection and the way economic theory is applied in legal and policy decisions. The chapter analyses the scope and effect of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU and the relationship between the two provisions. Concerted practice, dominant position and abuse are defined, and the exceptions to the rules in Article 101 are outlined. This is followed by discussions of the application and enforcement of EU competition law and merger control. State aid and services in the general economic interest are also considered. The role of the consumer and consumer protection are considered throughout.

This chapter focuses on direct actions before the Court of Justice. It is divided into two sections. Section I deals with direct actions relating to public enforcement of EU law between the Commission and Member States (Article 258 TFEU) and between Member States (Article 259 TFEU). The financial consequences of failure to remedy infringements are also covered (Article 260 TFEU). Section II deals with actions challenging the legality of binding institutional acts (action for annulment, Article 263 TFEU); action for failure to act (Article 265 TFEU); and the plea of illegality (Article 277 TFEU). It briefly examines the action for damages against EU institutions (Articles 268 and 340(2) TFEU), a Treaty-based action from which parallels can be drawn to the evolution of state liability, through the Court’s case law.