Rudolf Geiger, Daniel Erasmus-Khan and Markus Kotzur (eds), European Union Treaties: A Commentary

DOI10.3366/elr.2016.0330
Date01 January 2016
Author
Pages106-108
Published date01 January 2016

This book is the eagerly awaited, by this reviewer at least, English language version of a well-respected and longstanding German commentary on EU primary law (EUV/AEUV – Vertrag über die Europäische Union und Vertrag über die Arbeitsweise der Europäischen Union, ISBN 9783406597015, published by C H Beck as part of its ‘Gelbe Erläuterungsbücher’ commentary series, currently in its 5th edition). It has to be said though that the description of the title merely as the “English language version” of an existing foreign language publication is somewhat misleading as it conveys the impression that the book in question is nothing more than a “mere” translation of the original (German) text – which it is not. To begin with, the English publication has been significantly expanded (lxviii + 1248 pp., compared to liii + 1131 pp. for the German version). It has also been substantially updated (the German text was published in 2010). Probably more important though in this context is the fact, as indicated by the editors in the Preface, that the English text is actually intended to be more than a “simple” translation of the German commentary on the European Treaties by taking on board the differences not only between the German legal system and those of the United Kingdom but also those between various legal concepts in these jurisdictions. The statement that the editors have been successful with their efforts should not be taken as faint praise as, indeed, it is not intended as such. Rather, at least in the opinion of this reviewer, the editors are to be congratulated on having created a book which provides quite easy access to non-UK sources for those who want to go further than merely looking at UK sources, without, at the same time, trying to indoctrinate a Continental European (or even German) perspective on EU primary law. Indeed, considering that EU law is an international as well as internationally influenced legal area, one might even go further and say that this publication can rightfully be regarded as an indispensable tool for everybody researching into EU primary law, practitioners, academics, or students.

Written in a clear and straightforward style, the publication provides Article by Article commentary on both the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU); this is supplemented by some introductory comments on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (CFREU) plus the inclusion of the comments of the...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT