A General Law on Administrative Procedure, Legislative Competence and Judicial Competence

Abstract:

The desirability having a general law on administrative procedure has been debated in the past and has now come back on the agenda, in part at least because of support from the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament. If such a law, or something equivalent thereto, is developed there will be a range of issues to address concerning its scope and content. This article considers the rationale for such an instrument, and the type of subject matter that might be included. The principal focus is however on the logically prior issue as to the competence to enact such an instrument. This was questioned in the pre-Lisbon world, and question marks remain post-Lisbon. It will be seen moreover that resolution of this question raises interesting and important issues concerning the relationship between legislative and judicial competence within the EU.