Supremacy of EU Law
In Simple Terms
The principle that when EU law conflicts with national law, EU law prevails and national courts must set aside the conflicting national provision.
Formal Legal Definition
A fundamental principle of EU law established in Costa v ENEL (Case 6/64), which holds that EU law takes precedence over all national law, including constitutional provisions, in areas where the EU has competence.
Practical Example
If a Finnish law contradicts an EU Regulation, Finnish courts must apply the EU Regulation and disregard the conflicting Finnish provision.
Why It Matters
Without supremacy, EU law would be ineffective as member states could simply override it with national legislation, undermining the entire EU legal framework.
Related Terms
How snowLEX helps with Supremacy of EU Law
snowLEX helps identify potential conflicts between EU and national law and provides the case law and legal reasoning behind the supremacy principle.
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