A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP: FRANCE AND EUROPEAN LAW


16 Colum. J. Eur. L. 171 (2010)

David Marrani, Lecturer in public and comparative law, School of Law, University of Essex.

It was with great hope and spirit that the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union began in 2008. The French President was extremely proud to add to his many titles that of President of the European Council. In the welcome message posted on the French Presidency’s official website, it was made clear that France wanted “to be back in Europe. ” That said, communication between the French Republic and the European Institutions has not always been forthright, and these tumultuous relationships have been especially difficult in the legal field. The French people have witnessed a myriad of approaches to the integration of Community law during the past fifty years, some of which have contradicted the dynamic of integration itself. This Article looks at these contradictions