A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action
To date, Article 2 TEU has mainly been construed as a negative obligation to refrain from violating the values enshrined therein. In light of the Repubblika case law, which established a duty to prevent any regression in the protection of Article 2 TEU values, this paper considers whether Article 2...
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Cambridge University Press
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| Series: | European Journal of Risk Regulation |
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| author | Miriam Schuler Darren Harvey |
| author_facet | Miriam Schuler Darren Harvey |
| author_sort | Miriam Schuler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To date, Article 2 TEU has mainly been construed as a negative obligation to refrain from violating the values enshrined therein. In light of the Repubblika case law, which established a duty to prevent any regression in the protection of Article 2 TEU values, this paper considers whether Article 2 TEU can be construed in such a way as to bring about a positive obligation on the part of the Member States to take preventive action to safeguard the EU’s foundational values and thus prevent (or at least mitigate the risk of) violations of those values. We first consider the doctrinal and normative bases for such an obligation. We then argue that such an obligation arises whenever Article 2 TEU values are presently under threat (or when a threat is imminent), and when such a threat is sufficiently grave or systemic. We believe that an interpretation of Article 2 TEU that requires Member States to act, at source, to prevent national actors from committing violations of EU values, contributes to enhancing constitutional resilience in the EU. Consequently, we propose a novel legal approach that could, under certain circumstances, better equip the EU to address future threats to Article 2 TEU. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c6332d7e61e343dbbe78497a5cdd4fcf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1867-299X 2190-8249 |
| language | English |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Risk Regulation |
| spelling | doaj-art-c6332d7e61e343dbbe78497a5cdd4fcf2025-08-20T13:13:02ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Journal of Risk Regulation1867-299X2190-824912010.1017/err.2025.10030A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive ActionMiriam Schuler0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6526-6028Darren Harvey1King’s College London, UKKing’s College London, UKTo date, Article 2 TEU has mainly been construed as a negative obligation to refrain from violating the values enshrined therein. In light of the Repubblika case law, which established a duty to prevent any regression in the protection of Article 2 TEU values, this paper considers whether Article 2 TEU can be construed in such a way as to bring about a positive obligation on the part of the Member States to take preventive action to safeguard the EU’s foundational values and thus prevent (or at least mitigate the risk of) violations of those values. We first consider the doctrinal and normative bases for such an obligation. We then argue that such an obligation arises whenever Article 2 TEU values are presently under threat (or when a threat is imminent), and when such a threat is sufficiently grave or systemic. We believe that an interpretation of Article 2 TEU that requires Member States to act, at source, to prevent national actors from committing violations of EU values, contributes to enhancing constitutional resilience in the EU. Consequently, we propose a novel legal approach that could, under certain circumstances, better equip the EU to address future threats to Article 2 TEU.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1867299X25100305/type/journal_articleArticle 2 TEUpreventive obligationsRepubblika |
| spellingShingle | Miriam Schuler Darren Harvey A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action European Journal of Risk Regulation Article 2 TEU preventive obligations Repubblika |
| title | A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action |
| title_full | A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action |
| title_fullStr | A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action |
| title_short | A New Approach to Constitutional Crisis Prevention?: Article 2 TEU as an Obligation to Take Preventive Action |
| title_sort | new approach to constitutional crisis prevention article 2 teu as an obligation to take preventive action |
| topic | Article 2 TEU preventive obligations Repubblika |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1867299X25100305/type/journal_article |
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