European Union Law: Order, Effects, and Remedies
The constitutional architecture
Master the sources of EU law: the Treaties, regulations, directives, decisions, and international agreements. Know the principles of conferral, subsidiarity, and proportionality. Understand the institutional balance: the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, and the European Council. Study the conditions for direct effect and supremacy of EU law, and the relationship with national constitutional law. Know the rules on the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital, and the grounds of justification. Study competition law: the prohibition of cartels and abuse of dominance, and the merger control regime.
Judicial protection
Know the types of action before the Court of Justice: infringement, annulment, failure to act, and preliminary reference. Master the conditions of standing for private applicants and the effect of a preliminary ruling. Understand the principle of State liability for breach of EU law and the conditions for damages. Study the Charter of Fundamental Rights and its field of application.
Traps
Questions often test the difference between direct effect and supremacy, and between vertical and horizontal direct effect of directives. Watch for the standing conditions in annulment actions and the deadlines.
Rule of thumb
For any EU law question, identify the norm, its effect, the competent court, and the remedy.