The rule of law in the national and supranational context

Abstract

In the scholarly literature, we can find three different concepts that have essentially the same meaning, but which are not identical to each other. These are the English rule of law, the German Rechtsstaat and the French état de droit. Each concept is derived from specific historical, social and political context. The aim of this article is to examine the meaning and significance of the rule of law in a national and supranational context, while looking for similarities and differences. The main research problem concerns the question of how the rule of law should be understood in a non-state, i.e. a supranational context. Bearing in mind that in the case of the European Union we are dealing with a non-state context, and despite the fact that the closest concept of understanding of the rule of law applied in the European Union is the German Rechtsstaat, the author adopts the hypothesis that the most accurate narrative in the present context is the English understanding of the rule of law. The considerations and findings are to lead to a better understanding of this concept in the non-state (supranational) context, because compliance with the law, including the rule of law, by all entities (public and private, national, and European) is essential to the further existence of the European Union. The study is analytical, comparative, and explanatory.

Keywords

• Rule of law
• Rechtsstaat
• État de droit
• European Union
• Court of Justice