Direct Effects and Indirect Effects of Union Law

Classic international law holds that each state can choose the relationship between its ‘domestic’ law and ‘international’ law. Two—constitutional—theories thereby exist: monism and dualism. Monist states make international law part of their domestic legal order. International law will here directly apply as if it was domestic law. By contrast, dualist states consider international law separate from domestic law: international law is viewed as the law between states; national law is the law within a state. International law needs to be ‘transposed’ or ‘incorporated’ into domestic law; and it can therefore only have indirect effects through the medium of national law. For dualist states, all European law would need to be ‘incorporated’ into national law before it could have domestic effects. Individuals would here never come into direct contact with European law; and where a Member State violated European law, individuals could not invoke ‘their’ European rights in the national courts.