Vertical Division of Powers from the Perspective of Member States - Police Power in the Context of European Union Constitutionalism

Abstract

This chapter argues that some recent developments of EU constitutionalism may be better understood by relying on a classic term of US federalism. This term is police power that was widely used in the 18th-19th century US constitutional discourse. In the first part, in order to point out the relationship between the actual EU developments and the concept of police power the chapter presents and discusses its various meanings in US constitutional law. In the second part, the study critically examines whether Article 4 paras (1) and (2) TEU incorporated into the founding treaties following the Lisbon reforms may be interpreted as the emergence of the concept of police power in this context. In sum, the chapter submits that the first judgments of the ECJ touching upon the Articles will answer the question if the concept of police power is relevant in the EU constitutional discourse, but the use of term of police power can contribute to the conceptual understanding.

Keywords: European Union, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Constitutionalism, Competences, Police Power