The principle of subsidiarity and its application in European Union law

Abstract

The principle of subsidiarity embodies the idea of conferring a specific power to the higher level or wider community only provided that it is more effective for accomplishing the envisaged objectives than the action taken at the lower level of authority. Taken from the constitutions of some of the EU Member States, this principle was first introduced into the primary law of the European Communities, although without an explicit reference, as a guiding principle in the field of environmental protection. With the establishment of the European Union, the subsidiarity principle has substantially developed, both as a main principle of political organisation for the EU and as a governing principle in the exercise of non-exclusive powers which are conferred to the EU. The Lisbon Treaty has retained the principle of subsidiarity in both aforementioned forms, but it extends the scope of its application to all areas of the EU activities, including the former second and the third pillar. Concurrently, it establishes mechanisms which enable the implementation and continuous monitoring of the application of the subsidiarity principle in the process of adopting legislative acts. It is actually a mechanism that ensures ex ante control, which entails an early warning system involving the scrutiny of national parliaments of Member States. On the other hand, the judicial or ex post control is carried out by the Court of Justice in the process of judicial review, on the basis of filed actions for annulment on the ground of violation of the subsidiarity principle. In addition to the Members States, the applicants authorized to initiate this proceeding are also the national parliaments, their chambers or the Committee of the Regions.

Načelo supsidijarnosti izražava ideju da se višem nivou ili široj zajednici prepušta samo ono što se može bolje i efikasnije ostvariti nego na nižem nivou vlasti. Preuzeto iz ustavnog prava pojedinih država članica, ovo načelo ušlo je bez izričitog pominjanja u primarno pravo Evropskih zajednica kao rukovodni princip u oblasti zaštite životne sredine. Sa osnivanjem Evropske unije načelo supsidijarnosti je doživelo značajan razvoj postajući kako politički princip njene organizacije, tako i rukovodeće načelo u vršenju ovlašćenja koja nemaju isključivi karakter. Lisabonski ugovor zadržava supsidijarnost u oba ova vida, ali proširuje domen njene primene na sve oblasti delovanja Evropske unije, uključujući bivši drugi i treći stub. U isto vreme uspostavljaju se mehanizmi koji omogućavaju implementaciju i stalni nadzor nad primenom načela supsidijarnosti u postupku usvajanja zakonskih akata. Radi se zapravo o mehanizmu koji obezbeđuje ex ante kontrolu, odnosno sistem ranog upozoravanja u koji su uključeni nacionalni parlamenti država članica. S druge strane, pravosudnu ili ex post kontrolu vrši Sud pravde u postupku ocene zakonitosti legislativnih akata povodom podnetih tužbi za poništaj zbog povrede načela supsidijarnosti. Kao ovlašćeni tužioci u ovom postupku, pored država članica, pojavljuju se nacionalni parlamenti, njihovi domovi ili Komitet regiona.