Conclusion: The ECJ as an Integration Catalyst

Abstract

Unlike most international courts which are often confined to a somewhat obscure role, the ECJ has played a leading role in the development of European integration. Its influence has been felt at various levels, as has been seen throughout this book. It has utterly transformed the nature of the European Community and its relations with national legal systems, conferring upon Community law an authority akin to that enjoyed by federal law in federal systems. Its interpretations of the Treaty of Rome have had a decisive impact on the dynamics of integration. Its weight has been felt at all levels of the decision-making process, and its rights-based approach has on several occasions enabled the resolution of a stalemate that had prevented any decision from being taken. Results have been achieved that could not have been achieved were it not for the ECJ.