The Court of the European Communities: New Dimension in International Adjudication

If the United States of Europe should become a reality in the future, it is highly probable that the Court of Justice of the European Communities, now sitting in Luxembourg, will be transformed into the supreme court of the new federation. Legal concepts and judicial traditions formed by the judges in Luxem- bourg will then become a prominent part of the historical background of this new court. However, even now, during the process of economic intergration in Western Europe, the Court of the European Communities has been assuming an increasingly important role in the settlement of conflicts between economic and sometimes political interests. Moreover, through its more than hundred decisions, the Court has been developing a body of "European" case law which, in time, is likely to have favorable implications for the eventual political unification of Europe. This book is primarily intended as an introduction to the structure and functions of the Court of the European Communi- ties. In this endeavor consideration has also been given to the forces and factors that might affect the judicial decisions of the Court and to the impact which such decisions might have upon economic enterprises and public policy in the Member states of the European Community, better known as the European Common Market.