Non-statutory Rulemaking and the Rule of Law: towards a ‘Law of Rules’?

Abstract

In various European legal systems, autonomous public bodies and private actors are increasingly invested with rulemaking powers. The phenomenon is usually assessed through the looking glass of the democracy principle, because these actors have a weaker electoral connection to the People than other (non-statutory) rule makers such as e.g. the Government and its ministers. What is still largely missing from legal scholarship is an analysis of how the rule of law, and more specifically legal certainty, is safeguarded when private actors and autonomous public bodies receive rulemaking powers. This contribution reveals that the rules and practices applied by these actors sometimes lead to higher degrees of legal certainty than those in place for central administrations. Hence, these ‘non-politically-accountable actors’ offer inspiration for the development of an overarching Law of Rules that can further the Rule of Law for all non-statutory rulemaking.