Péter Budai: The Alchemist's Amalgam - The role of Article 13(1) first subparagraph TEU in the expansion of powers of the European Union (GJ, 2025. Különszám, 78-86. o.)

Abstract - The Alchemist's Amalgam - The role of Article 13(1) first subparagraph TEU in the expansion of powers of the European Union

It is well-known that a distinctive feature of the development of the European Union is that, since its genesis, integration has deepened and, over time, gained increasing influence across various areas of competence. While the literature examines both the legal basis and the relevant (legislative) tools, and also pays considerable attention to the activities of the appropriate institutional actors, it says little about the core provision of the EU Treaties governing the scope of action of those actors. It is so much the case that even the Court of Justice of the European Union has not yet expressed its interpretation on that provision. Article 13(1), first subparagraph, of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) serves as the basis for defining the institutional framework of the European Union, as it sets out the list of the missions of such a framework. On this basis, the European Union has its own institutional framework, determined by the values and objectives of the Union, the interests of the Union, its citizens, and its Member States, as well as the consistency, effectiveness, and continuity of the Union's policies and actions. The provision thus refers to several concepts that define aspects of action within the institutional framework of the Union. The High Contracting Parties, i.e., the Member States, acting as alchemists of sorts, have thus created a particular alloy, a kind of amalgam, the purpose of which was to ensure the room for maneuver of the Union, but which is also the core material for the Union's expansion of powers. In this regard, this study aims to examine the possible role of Article 13(1) first subparagraph TEU in relation to the founding treaties of the EU, with particular regard to the expansion of powers of the European Union.

Absztrakt - Az alkímista amalgámja - az EUSZ 13. cikk (1) bekezdés első albekezdésének szerepe az Európai Unió hatáskörének bővülésében

Tudvalevő, hogy az EU fejlődésének sajátos jellemzője, hogy annak létrehozásától kezdve megfigyelhető az integráció mélyülése, és az, hogy az idő múlásával egyre nagyobb befolyást szerzett az egyes hatásköri területeken. Amellett, hogy a szakirodalom mind ennek jogi alapvetéseit, mind a vonatkozó (jogi) eszközrendszerét vizsgálja, mi több, a vonatkozó intézményi szereplők tevékenységére is jelentős figyelmet fordít, utóbbiak mozgásterére vonatkozó alapvető uniós szerződéses rendelkezésről kevés szó esik. Történik mindez olyannyira, hogy ilyen vonatkozásban mindeddig az Európai Unió Bírósága sem nyilvánított véleményt. Az Európai Unió Szerződésének (EUSZ) 13. cikk (1) bekezdésének első albekezdése mintegy alapvetésként szolgál az uniós intézményrendszer meghatározására, figyelemmel arra, hogy meghatározza annak célrendszerét. Ez alapján az Európai Unió saját intézményi kerettel rendelkezik, amelyet meghatároznak az Unió értékei, céljai, az Uniónak, annak polgárainak és tagállamainak érdekei, csakúgy, mint az Unió politikai és intézkedései egységessége, eredményessége és folyamatossága. A rendelkezés így számos koncepcióra utal, amelyek több cselekvési aspektust határoznak meg az Unió intézményi kerete számára. A magas szerződő felek, vagyis a tagállamok egyfaja alkimistákként így egy nagyon sajátos ötvözetet, egyfajta amalgámot hoztak ezzel létre, amelynek célja volt, hogy biztosítsák az Unió mozgásterét, amely azonban az Unió hatáskörbőülésének is megfelelő alapanyaga. Erre nézve a tanulmány célja az EUSZ 13. cikke (1) bekezdésének első albekezdése lehetséges szerepének vizsgálata az EU alapító szerződéseihez viszonyítva, különös tekintettel az Unió hatásköreinek bővülésére.

I. Introduction

It is almost a cliché that the European Union tends to expand its powers. The different authors highlighted different aspects of the phenomenon. First, the expansion of powers originates from the theoretical foundations of the Union, especially considering the integration theories of federalism and neofunctionalism.[1] In this regard, several authors underline that the phenomenon correlates with the perceived constitutional framework of the Union establishing even the constitutionalism (either political or a more functional type of constitutionalism) of the Union.[2] Second, the expansion of powers occurs through the different pieces of the toolbox of the Union. As Garben underlines, not only indirect legislation, but also other methods, such as the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (hereinafter: CJEU or the Court) (including the interpretation of competences about different international agreements concluded by the Union and its Member States), soft law instruments, economic governance, or parallel integration provide means for the Union to expand its powers.[3] Third, there is an emerging trend that underlines the substantial role of lawyers and the legal academia in the development of EU law and the integration.[4] Fourth, it is also frequent to focus on the legisla-

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tive measures and non-legislative activities of the different EU institutions and additional bodies of the Union. It is especially true in the case of crisis management the Union relied in the past few years, such as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the migration crisis, or the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU.[5] Needless to say, the interpretational methods of the Court get significant attention in this regard.[6]

Considering the last aspect, it is conspicuous how the different EU institutions contributed to the development of European integration, therefore, the phenomenon of the expansion of powers of the Union. Unsurprisingly, EU institutions often get criticized for circumventing the Member States to advance European integration. However, practice-oriented approaches rarely consider the significance of the core rules of the EU institutional framework, which are set out in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union (hereinafter: TEU), thereby missing a critical component that could help provide a more comprehensive picture of deepening European integration. In addition, regarding Article 13 TEU, legal research tends to focus solely on the significance of the principles of institutional balance and mutual sincere cooperation pursuant to Article 13(2) TEU.[7]

On the other hand, Article 13(1) TEU first subparagraph TEU, which articulates the nature of the institutional framework of the Union, is somewhat neglected. As the relevant provision formulates, "[t]he Union shall have an institutional framework which shall aim to promote its values, advance its objectives, serve its interests, those of its citizens and those of the Member States, and ensure the consistency, effectiveness and continuity of its policies and actions".[8] It is even more puzzling that the Court has never examined this provision in its case-law closely. As regards the examination of the text at hand, one could presume that this provision has no relevance, which, on the other hand, is undoubtedly worth questioning. After all, as Bast and von Bogdandy mention, Article 13 TEU is among the basic (constitutional provisions) of the EU Treaties, albeit it does not examine its content, especially not the above-referred subparagraph.[9] It is indeed a central point to understand the core rule of the EU institutional framework to understand the expansion of powers of the Union. As such, legal scholars should pay closer attention to the nuanced details of Article 13(1) first subparagraph TEU.