EURECO Lecture: "Reinventing the founding myths of Europe"

EURECO Distinguished Lecture Series 2014 presents a lecture by Urska Sadl Assistant Professor, Centre of Excellence for International Courts (iCourts), Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, on the continuous relevance of the constitutional milestones of the EU legal order

All legal systems know the concept of a landmark case. The case of the EU is no different in that regard. Two things are nevertheless remarkable. First, grand cases like Van Gend, Costa v ENEL, and Les Verts, stand as European constitutional milestones. They establish, define, limit and legitimate a (quasi)constitutional, sui generis legal system of the EU. Second, they provide Europe with so far the most persistent, simple, and straightforward theory of integration. But what makes certain cases leading cases: is it an instantaneous act by the Court, which once and for all nails down a great legal principle? Or is it rather a protracted process, in which a certain case only gradually gains this symbolic standing?