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FREE LAW JOURNAL - VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 (18 JULY 2005)
SOME ELEMENTS OF THE ECONOMIC CONSTITUTION OF THE EU: SOCIAL
MARKET ECONOMY AND RELEVANT FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
DR. TÍMEA DRINÓCZI
With regard to the European Communities/European Union, the term economic constitution has not been
used in a constitutional law sense. Joerges regards the economic constitution of the EC basically as an
economic constitutional law, since integration is based on an open market and serves the creation of a
common market. This law is economic constitutional law, since it indicates that the opening up of markets
is followed by competition, and that the common market creates a system of competition without any
distortions. 1 This, however, is not the reason why it is constitutional. The explanation of it is that now the
concept of the constitution cannot be separated from its legal sense so common in the constitutional states
of the rule of law, which means that the constitution is to be regarded as a basic law laying down the
framework of social coexistence and state or central organs – on the basis of legal sovereignty – with a
binding force, while being a minimum consensus at the same time. Thus the constitution does not express
mere orderliness any longer. This obviously does not mean that other concepts of the economic
constitution 2 would not be appropriate in other contexts; it simply indicates that these concepts do not take
the constitution as a normative basic law. Therefore, the economic constitution – in the constitutional law
sense – is the aggregate of the constitutional norms pertaining to the field of economy 3 , in other words all
constitutional provisions touching upon economic policy 4 . This is why this concept has a bearing on
principles of constitutional rank whether written or unwritten, objectives, competence regulations and
fundamental rights 5 . The economic constitution, however, is not a closed system in itself, since the rest of
the provisions of the constitution are to be regarded when interpreting and applying its provisions. 6 Thus,
defining the concept of the economic constitution does not mean splitting the constitution into an
*DR. TÍMEA DRINÓCZI, ASSITANT-LECTURER.
1 Christian Joerges: The Market without the State? The ’Economic Constitution’ of the European Community and the Rebirth
of Regulatory Politics. 1997. http://eiop.or.at/eiop/texte/1997-019a.htm (24 11 2004) p 4. On the various views on the
economic constitution see e.g. Armin von Bogdandy (Hrsg.): Europäisches Verfassungsrecht. Theoretische und dogmatische
Grundzüge. Springer Verlag, Berlin, G. Gutmann – W. Klein – S. Paraskewopoulos – H. Winter: Die Wirtschaftsverfassung
der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart-New York 1976., Basedow, J.: Von der deutschen zur
europäischen Wirtschaftsverfassung. Mohr, Tübingen 1992., Böhm, F.: Wettbewerb und Monopolkampf – Eine Untersuchung
zur Frage des Wirtschaftlichen Kampfsrechts und zur frage der rechtlichen Structur der geltenden Wirtschaftsordnung.
Heymanns, Berlin 1933. IX., Tamás Sárközy: A gazdaság közjogi szabályai [Public Law Rules of the Economy]. In. Magyar
Gazdasági Jog I. Aula 1999, Jankovics-Kónya: A gazdasági alkotmányosság története [The History of Economic
Constitutionality]. Magyar Rendészet 2004/1
2 National economy approach (Freiburg school), economic constitution in a broad sense.
3 Luciani, M: Economia nel diritto costituzionale, Dig. Disc. Pubbl. V. 1990 p 374. Giuseppe Grisi: L’automia privata. Diritto
dei contratti e disciplina costituzionale dell’economia. Dottore A. Guffrè Editore Milano 1999 p86, J. Baquero Cruz: Between
competition and free movement: the economic constitutional law of the European Community. Oxford 2002 p 29.
4 Only some parts of constitutional law may be regarded as economic constitution. Cf Zacher, H.F.: Aufgaben einer Theorie der
Wirtschaftesverfassung. In. H. Coing-H. Kronstein. E-J. Mestmäcker (Hrsg) Wirtschaftsordnung und Rechtsordnung.
Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag von Franz Böhm. C.F. Müller, Karlsruhe 1965 pp 63-109 (1965). Cited by Werner Mussler: Die
Wirtschaftesverfassung der Europaische Gemeinschaft im Wandel. Von Rom nach Maastricht. Nomos Verlagsgesellschafts,
Baden-Baden 1998 p 19.
5 Fritz Gygi: Die Schweizerische Wirtschaftesverfassung. Verlag Paul Haupt Bern und Stuttgart 1978 p 102.
6 Gygi: ibid. p 102.
DR. TÍMEA DRINÓCZI - SOME ELEMENTS OF THE ECONOMIC CONSTITUTION OF THE EU: SOCIAL MARKET ECONOMY AND RELEVANT FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS 65