The sphere of public law is ill-defined and controversial. Taking the broad view that it comprises aspects of (for instance) constitutional principles, good and humane administration, judicial review based on the rule of law, human rights, liability for wrongdoing, public procurement, provision of public services, transparency, social media and protection of privacy – areas that link legal control to broad governmental purposes – the third edition of this established and much-praised work expands its examination of the emergence of European public law from European Union (EU) law (and its European Community and European Economic Community antecedents), the European Convention on Human Rights and the interface of these systems with Member State systems, to include the currently all-important challenge of Brexit.
The book explains in detail what European public law is and the context in which laws interact in European societies. Masterfully summarising the debate surrounding the influence of EU and European Convention law on Member State law – particularly that of the United Kingdom (UK) – in a thematic and analytical manner, the author covers the following topics and much more as they persist in the shadow of Brexit:
- constitutional law and administrative law in the EU and France, Germany and the UK;
- subsidiarity in the EU and UK devolution;
- openness, transparency and access to information;
- national parliaments and scrutiny of EU law;
- influence of EU law on UK judicial review;
- access to justice in the light of austerity and government cuts in public expenditure;
- the future of the UK Human Rights Act;
- European influence on the law of liability;
- EU ombudsmen and internal grievance procedures;
- future relationship between EU and UK domestic law;
- citizenship and protection of human rights;
- competition, regulation, public service and the market;
- the impact of Brexit, the legal consequences of UK withdrawal legislation and European Public Law, the EU-UK written agreements on separation and the political statement’s prospects for a post-Brexit trade deal.
Detailed analyses of major cases and legal provisions are featured throughout the book.
Given that the effects of Brexit will take decades to unfold, and not only in the UK, this new edition of a classic text will prove to be an invaluable guide to the ever-developing European context of domestic public law. The indelible marks of European integration must be fully understood if we are to understand public law and its future direction. The book will be of enormous assistance to political theorists and scientists and commentators and of immeasurable practical and academic importance in monitoring the future of Europe and its legal relationship with the UK. Academics and students will be rewarded by the detailed analysis of the context in which national laws and European laws interact. Practitioners in the UK, Europe and globally will gain invaluable insight into the laws they use to resolve practical questions of legal interpretation.
