Article 7 TEU: From 'Nuclear option’ to ‘Sisyphean procedure’?

Laurent Pech*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Book/Report typesChapterpeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

In December 2017, the EU’s Art 7 TEU, often informally but mistakenly referred to as the EU’s ʼnuclear option’, was activated for the very first time by the European Commission in respect of Poland. A few months later, the same provision was activated by the European Parliament in respect of Hungary. In both instances, the Council was asked to determine, in accordance with Art 7(1) TEU, whether Polish and Hungarian authorities were at risk of breaching the EU’s foundational values. This contribution offers a critical assessment of the practical workings of the Art 7(1) procedure, which, not unlike Art 50 TEU, few thought would ever be activated. The underlying thread of this contribution is Professor Sadurski’s seminal contribution ‘Adding a Bite to a Bark’ in which he offered the first comprehensive account of the genesis and assessment of Art 7 TEU.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationConstitutionalism under Stress
PublisherOxford University Press
Pages157-174
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9780198864738
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 Oct 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Art 2 TEU
  • Art 7 TEU
  • European values
  • Hearings
  • Hungary
  • Institutional balance
  • Poland
  • Rule of law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Article 7 TEU: From 'Nuclear option’ to ‘Sisyphean procedure’?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this