Die Europäische Union im universellen Völkergewohnheitsrecht

According to Article 3 (5) of the Treaty of the European Union, the EU shall contribute to »the strict observance and the development of international law«. As a subject of international law, the EU is bound to customary international law. This volume examines the mutual relations between the legal order of the European Union and the rules of customary international law, exploring how these rules determine the external relations of the EU and how - vice versa - the union takes part in the development and enforcement of customary international law. The result is an evaluation of customary international law rules application within the EU legal order. Subordinate principles regarding the interaction between the two legal orders are summed up and defined in the light of the international legal order's constitutionalizing process.