Contours of a European social union in the case-law of the European Court of Justice

European Constitutional Law Review

Volumn 2, Issue 1, 2006, Pages 101-115

  Lenaerts, Koen ^a   Heremans, Tinne ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN   (Belgium)

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EID: 35348961084     PISSN: 15740196     EISSN: 17445515     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S1574019606001015     Document Type: Article

References (100)

1. A.P. van der Mei, Free Movement of Persons within the European Community (Oxford, Hart Publishing 2003), p. 5-6;
2. see also M. Coucheir, The Characteristics of the Welfare State. The Treaty Based Method of Patient Mobility, available at .
3. ECJ 17 June 1997, Sodemare/Regione Lombardia, Case C-70/95 [1997] ECR I-3395, para. 27;
4. ECJ 7 Feb. 1984, Duphar, Case 238/82 [1984] ECR 523, para. 16;
5. ECJ 17 Feb. 1993, Poucet and Pistre, Joined Cases C-159/91 and C-160/91 [1993] ECR 1-637, para. 6.
6. M. Coucheir, supra n. 1.
7. Cf. the previous denomination of the European Community as European Economic Community.
8. Comprised of employees, self-employed persons, service providers and service recipients.
9. It should be noted that precisely due to the initial focus on economically active migrants, the Court has interpreted this category as widely as possible, as a result of which, among others, jobseekers and tourists enjoy certain of these social rights on the basis of Art. 39 respectively Art. 50 EC.
10. Council Directive 90/364/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence, [1990] OJ L 180/26;
11. Council Directive 90/365/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence for employees and self-employed persons who have ceased their occupational activity, [1990] OJ L 180/28;
12. Council Directive 93/96/EEC of 29 October 1993 on the right of residence for students, [1993] OJ L 317/59.
13. Council Directive 93/96/EEC of 29 Oct. 29, 1993 on the right of residence for students, [1993] OJ L 317/59;
14. see also Council Directive 90/364/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence, [1990] OJ L 180/26
15. and Council Directive 90/365/EEC of 28 June 1990 on the right of residence for employees and self-employed persons who have ceased their occupational activity, [1990] OJ L 180/28.
16. ECJ 15 March 2005, Bidar, Case C-209/03, [2005] ECR I-2119, para. 42;
17. see also, ECJ 24 Nov. 1998, Bickel and Franz, Case C-274/96 [1998] ECRI-7637, paras. 15-16;
18. ECJ 20 Sept. 2001, Grzelczyk, Case C-184/99 [2001] ECR I-6193, para. 33;
19. ECJ 2 Oct. 2003, Garcia Avello, Case C-148/02 [2003] ECR I-11613, para. 24.
20. ECJ 17 Sept. 2002, Baumbast and R, Case C-413/99 [2002] ECR I-7091, para. 85.
21. Ibid., para. 91.
22. Grzelczyk, supra n. 9, para. 44.
23. Ibid., para. 43.
24. Ibid., para. 44. Apart from the temporary nature of the support applied for, the Court also seemed to take into account the 'involuntary' character of the situation, i.e., the fact that the student was simply unable to take on an extra job any longer due to the workload of a thesis combined with a traineeship: see in that sense para. 45.
25. ECJ 7 Sept. 2004, Trojani, Case C-456/02 [2004] ECR I-7573, para. 36. Yet, as will be discussed below, the Court decided that, although Mr. Trojani could not draw a right of residence from Community law and consequently had no right in principle to equal treatment, he was none-theless entitled to equal treatment since Belgium had granted him a right of residence on the basis of national law.
26. Ibid., para. 36.
27. Bidar, supra n. 9, para. 56.
28. ECJ 23 March 2004, Collins, Case C-138/02 [2004] ECR I-2703.
29. The legality of his residence was not subject to discussion since the Court had previously decided that jobseekers fall within the scope of Art. 39 EC and derive a right to residence from this article, even though this right can be limited in time.
30. Collins, supra n. 18, para. 67.
31. Ibid., para. 72.
32. Bidar, supra n. 9, para. 61.
33. Ibid.
34. Trojani, supra n. 15, para. 40.
35. Collins, supra n. 18, para. 72;
36. Bidar, supra n. 9, para. 61.
37. See in this sense Bidar, supra n. 9, para. 62.
38. Ibid.
39. Grzelczyk, supra n. 9.
40. See also Catherine Barnard, The Substantive Law of the EU (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2004), p. 414-415.
41. With the exception of Decker (ECJ 28 April 1998, Case C-120/95 [1998] ECR I-1831) where a medical product (good), i.e., glasses, was purchased abroad, all these cases concern patients who received medical services.
42. Regulation (EEC) No. 1408/71 of the Council of 14 June 1971 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons and their families moving within the Community, [1971] OJ English Spec. Ed. (II) 416, last codified by Council Regulation (EEC) No. 118/97 of 2 Dec. 1996, [1997] OJ L 28/1.
43. Regulation (EC) No. 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the co-ordination of social security systems, [2004] OJ L 166/1.
44. The term 'competent Member State' denotes that member state where the institution with which the person concerned is insured or from which he is entitled to receive benefits is situated.
45. Art. 20(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 883/2004, supra n. 32,
46. replacing Art. 22(2) of Regulation (EEC) No. 1408/71, supra n. 31,
47. which was last codified by Art. 22(2), of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 118/97, supra n. 31.
48. ECJ 31 Jan. 1984, Luisi and Carbone, Joined Cases 286/82 and 26/83 [1984] ECR 377, para. 16.
49. M. Coucheir, supra n. 1.
50. Mainly asymmetrical information and external effects.
51. Art. 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union of 7 Dec. 2000, [2000], OJ C 364/1.
52. M. Coucheir, supra n. 1.
53. ECJ 4 Oct. 1991, Grogan, Case C-159/90 [1991] ECR I-04685, para. 21.
54. ECJ 28 April 1998, Kohll Case C-158/96 [1998] ECR I-1931, para. 21.
55. ECJ 12 July 2001, Smits and Peerbooms, Case C-157/99 [2001] ECR I-5473, para. 58.
56. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 53;
57. ECJ 12 July 2001, Vanbraekel and others, Case C-368/98 [2001] ECR I-5363, para. 41.
58. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 56.
59. See Gareth T. Davies, 'Health and Efficiency: Community Law and National Health Systems in the Light of Müller-Fauré', Modern Law Review (2004), p. 94-107, at p. 101, who infers this from the manner in which the Court phrased its reasoning in Müller-Fauré and van Riet (ECJ 13 May 2003, Case C-385/99 [2003] ECR I-4509).
60. Kohll, supra n. 41 para. 35;
61. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, paras. 61-69;
62. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 44.
63. See also in that sense A.P. van der Mei, supra n. 1, p. 227-228. A third argument relating to the fear of the member states, that they cannot guarantee the quality of the foreign services, is not particularly relevant for our focus on the 'subsistence of the system'.
64. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 108.
65. Kohll, supra n. 41, para. 41;
66. Decker, supra n. 30, para. 39.
67. Kohll, supra n. 41, para. 50.
68. Ibid., para. 51.
69. This could already be implicitly inferred from Kohll, supra n. 41, para. 27,
70. and was confirmed in Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 98.
71. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, paras. 86-87.
72. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 94.
73. Ibid., para. 97.
74. Kohll, supra n. 41, para. 42;
75. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 98.
76. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, paras. 95-97.
77. Kohll, supra n. 41, para. 52;
78. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, paras. 71 and 97 where this consideration was thought to be so intrinsically linked with the financial stability that it was treated under that category.
79. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 76;
80. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 77.
81. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 78;
82. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 79.
83. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 79;
84. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 80.
85. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 80;
86. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 81.
87. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, paras. 82, 89-90;
88. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, paras. 83-84.
89. Thus, the discretionary freedom of the national authorities has to be restricted by employing objective, non-discriminatory criteria that are known in advance. Moreover, this scheme must be based on a procedural system that is easily accessible, and there have to be adequate possibilities of appeal. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, paras. 90-91;
90. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, paras. 84-85.
91. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 97.
92. Ibid., para. 108.
93. Ibid.
94. This is also required before non-contracted institutions within the Netherlands can be consulted.
95. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 108;
96. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 91.
97. Smits and Peerbooms, supra n. 42, para. 106;
98. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 91.
99. Müller-Fauré and van Riet, supra n. 45, para. 90.
100. Ibid., para. 92.