The nationsl judiciary - Sword of European court of justice ruling: The example of the Kohll Decker jurisprudence

European Law Journal

Volumn 14, Issue 6, 2008, Pages 735-752

  Obermaier, Andreas J ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 65349169462     PISSN: 13515993     EISSN: 14680386     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0386.2008.00439.x     Document Type: Article

References (59)

1. Researcher at the Institute for European Integration Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna. Contact: Andreas.obermaiereaw.ac.at. I would like to thank the following persons for their comments and insights: Stephan Leibfried, Klaus Sieveking, Reinhard Slepcevic and Francis Snyder.
2. Case C-158/96, Raymond Kohll v Union des Caisses de Maladie [1998] ECR I-1931.
3. Case C-120/95, Nicolas Decker v Caisse de Maladie des Employwés Privés [1998] ECR I-1831.
4. See eg van der Mei, 'The Kohll and Decker rulings: Revolution or evolution?', (1999) 5 eurohealth 14
5. or B. Schulte, '"Decker/Kohll" und die Folgen. Fragen und Hypothesen', in Y. Jorens and B. Schulte (eds), Grenzüberschreitende Inanspruchnahme von Gesundheitsleistungen im Gemeinsamen Markt. Belgischdeutsch-niederländische Tagung in Antwerpen (Nomos, 2003).
6. J. Gobrecht, 'National reactions to Kohll and Decker', (1999) 5 eurohealth 16, at 17.
7. See eg E. Eichenhofer, 'Das Europäische koordinierende Krankenversicherungsrecht nach den EuGHUrteilen Kohll und Decker', (1999) 2 VSSR 101
8. Y. Jorens, 'Impact de la jurisprudence la plus récente de la Cour européenne de justice sur l'influence des règles relatives au marché intérieur sur les systèmes nationaux de santé, plus spécialement les arrêts prononcés après décembre 2001: Les cas Müller-Fauré Van Riet, Inizan et Leichtle', (2004) 46 Revue Belge de Sécurité Sociale 379
9. S. Leibfried, 'Social Policy: Left to the Judges and the Markets?', in H. Wallace, W. Wallace and M. A. Pollack (eds), Policy-Making in the European Union (Oxford University Press, 2005)
10. and K. Sieveking, 'ECJ Rulings on Health Care Services and Their Effects on the Freedom of Cross-Border Patient Mobility in the EU4', (2007) 9 EJML 25.
11. The two contradicting positions can be seen eg in M. Ferrera, European Integration and National Social Citizenship: Changing Boundaries, New Structuring?, Working Paper CIIP-3, 2003
12. and in U. Becker, 'Brillen aus Luxemburg und Zahnbehandlung in Brüssel - Die Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung im europäischen Binnenmarkt, zu EuGH v. 28.4.1998, Rs. C-120/95 (Decker), und EuGH v. 28.4.1998, Rs. C-158/96 (Kohll)', (1998) 8 NZS 359.
13. According to Peter Altmaier, the principle of territoriality consists of two aspects: First, the national sovereignty to determine whether and to what extent benefits are provided abroad. Second, the justification and regulation of benefits nationally applies only to domestic cases without an equivalent for foreign cases. See P. Altmaier, 'Europäisches koordinierendes Sozialrecht - Ende des Territorialitätsprinzips?', in E. Eichenhofer and M. Zuleeg (eds), Die Rechtsprechung des Europäischen Gerichtshofs zum Arbeits-und Sozialrecht im Streit (Bundesanzeiger, 1995), 73.
14. See T. Börzel and T. Risse, 'Die Wirkung internationaler Institutionen. Von der Normanerkennung zur Normeinhaltung', in M. Jachtenfuchs and M. Knodt (eds), Regieren in internationalen Institutionen (Leske+Budrich, 2002), 164.
15. See J. H. H. Weiler, 'A Quiet Revolution. The European Court of Justice and its Interlocutors', (1994a) 26 CPS 510, at 518.
16. I adopt the distinction between structural and material doctrines by Joseph Weiler. For him, a structural doctrine lays down a 'normative framework that purports to govern fundamental issues, such as the structure of relationships between Community and member states', whereas a material doctrine does 'the same in relation to, for example, the economic and social content of that relationship'. See Weiler, op cit n 10 supra, at 512. For a discussion on the structural doctrines see eg J. H. H. Weiler, 'The Transformation of Europe', (1991) 100 The Yale Law Journal 2402
17. Lenaerts, 'Some Thoughts About the Interaction Between Judges and Politicians in the European Community', (1992) 12 YEL 1
18. and A.-M. Slaughter, A. Stone Sweet and J. H. H. Weiler, The European Court and National Courts - Doctrine and Jurisprudence. Legal Change in Its Social Context (Hart Publishing, 1998).
19. Weiler, op cit n 10 supra, at 518.
20. See J. H. H. Weiler, 'Journey to an Unknown Destination: A Retrospective and Prospective of the European Court of Justice in the Arena of Political Integration', in S. Bulmer and A. Scott, Economic and Political Integration in Europe: Internal Dynamics and Global Context (Blackwell, 1994), 135.
21. Ibid, at 135-36.
22. Ibid, at 136.
23. See Alter, 'Explaining National Court Acceptance of European Court Jurisprudence: A Critical Evaluation of Theories of Legal Integration', in Slaughter et al, op cit n 11 supra, at 227.
24. See J. Golub, 'The Politics of Judicial Discretion: Rethinking the Interaction between National Courts and the European Court of Justice', (1996) 19 WEP 360, at 377.
25. L. Conant, Justice Contained. Law and Politics in the European Union (Cornell University Press, 2003), 81.
26. Ibid, at 74.
27. Ibid, at 80.
28. According to Hjalte Rasmussen judicial activism 'connotes regular judicial policy-making in pursuance of policy-objectives which usurp the rule and policy-making powers of other branches of government, specifically if judicial choice-making over a procrasted period of time is at odds with election-day results', H. Rasmussen, The European Court of Justice (Gadjura, 1998), 27.
29. See Y. Jorens, 'The Right to Health Care across Borders', in M. McKee, E. Mossialos and R. Baeten (eds), The Impact of EU Law on Health Care Systems (Peter Lang, 2002), 110.
30. Case C-368/98, Abdon Vanbraekel and Others v Alliance Nationale des Mutualités Chrétiennes [2001] ECR I-5363.
31. Case C-157/99, B.S.M. Geraets-Smits v Stichting Ziekenfonds VGZ and H.T.M. Peerbooms v Stichting CZ Groep Zorgverzekeringen [2001] ECR I-5473.
32. M. Fuchs, 'Free Movement of Services and Social Security - Quo Vadis?', (2002) 8 ELJ 536, at 541.
33. Case C-385/99, V.G. Müller-Fauré v Onderlinge Waarborgmaatschappij OZ Zorgverzekeringen UA and E.E.M. van Riet v Onderlinge Waarborgmaatschappij ZAO Zorgverzekeringen [2003] ECR I-4509.
34. Case C-56/01, Patricia Inizan v Caisse primaire d4assurance maladie des Hauts-de-Seine [2003] ECR I-12403.
35. Case C-08/02, Ludwig Leichtle v Bundesanstalt für Arbeit [2004] ECR I-2641.
36. Case C-145/03, Heirs of Annette Keller v Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social [2005] ECR I-2529.
37. Case C-372/04, The Queen on the application of Yvonne Watts v 1) Bedford Primary Care Trust 2) Secretary of State for Health [2006] ECR I-4325.
38. Case C-466/04, Manuel Acereda Herrera v Servicio Cántabro de Salud [2006] ECR I-5341.
39. ECJ, Rapport d'audience, Kohll, para 17.
40. Tribunal des Affaires de Sécurité Sociale, G 166/99, Frieda Pfrimmer v CPAM Strasbourg, 14 June 2000; G 229/99, G 230/99, Marianne Thébaud et Jean-Louis Vaquin v CPAM Strasbourg, 14 June 2000.
41. Cour d'Appel de Colmar, RG 00/04258, Marianne Thébaud v CPAM Strasbourg, 17 October 2002; RG 00/04259, Jean-Louis Vaquin v CPAM Strasbourg, 17 October 2002; RG 00/04257, Frieda Pfrimmer v CPAM Strasbourg, 19 June 2003.
42. Cour de Cassation, Chambre Sociale, 00-15.903, Robert Magnan v CPAM des Hauts de Seine, 28 March 2002.
43. Cour de Cassation, Chambre Civile 2, 02-30674, CPAM de Montpellier-Lodève v Gérona, 25 May 2004.
44. F. Kessler, European Observatory on Social Security for Migrant Workers: National Report: France (Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Sozialrecht, 2003), 18.
45. ECJ, Rapport d'audience, Kohll, para 85.
46. See the National Health Service Act 1977, Chapter 49 (HMSO, reprinted 1995).
47. See the National Health Service Act 1977 and National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2759), only for England and Wales.
48. J. Allsop and R. Baggott, 'The NHS in England: From modernisation to marketisation?', in N. Ellison, L. Bauld and M. Powell (eds), Social Policy Review 16: Analysis and debate in social policy (Policy Press, 2004), 29.
49. R (on the application of Yvonne Watts) and (1) Bedford Primary Care Trust (2) Secretary of State for Health, Case CO/5690/2002, 1 October 2003, QBD (Admin), Munby J.
50. See The Independent, 2 October 2003.
51. See Financial Times, 21 February 2004.
52. See ECJ, Report for the Hearing for Watts, paras 46 and 67.
53. See ECJ, Rapport d'audience, Kohll, paras 55 and 60; and Rapport d'audience, Decker, para 34.
54. See Deutscher Bundestag, printed matter 15/1525, at 80-82.
55. Case C-322/02, Eva-Maria Weller v Deutsche Angestellten-Krankenkasse, removed from the register by order of 17 May 2004.
56. Case C-454/02, Karin Bautz v AOK Baden-Württemberg, removed from the register by order of 8 June 2004.
57. See N. Kerschen, European Observatory on Social Security for Migrant Workers: National Report: Luxembourg (Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Sozialrecht, 2003), 7.
58. See E. Ales, European Observatory on Social Security for Migrant Workers: National Report: Italy (Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Sozialrecht, 2003), 58.
59. Y. Jorens and J. Hajdú, Training and Reporting on European Social Security. European Report 2007 (Ghent University, 2007), 114.