The primacy of European Union law, a cardinal principle in turmoil

October 6, 2021, Institut Jacques Delors

In her annual State of the Union address on September 15, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not develop a more operational plan for defending the rule of law, as one might have hoped. She did, however, explicitly point out that the fundamental values of the European Union, which the Commission is determined to defend, are guaranteed by its legal order, and that "the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union ensure that they prevail. These rulings are binding. And we see to it that they are put into effect. In every country of our Union.