Three Decades of the Nakajima Doctrine in EU Law: Where Are We Now?

Stoyanov, Kristiyan

Abstract

Under the Nakajima doctrine, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) can review the legality of a European Union (EU) measure in the light of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements if the EU legislature intended to implement a particular obligation assumed in the context of those agreements. This article argues that Nakajima remains a valid exception to the lack of direct effect of WTO law in the EU. Section II highlights the CJEU’s restrictive interpretation of Nakajima. Section III shows that in recent case law the CJEU continues to take a narrow interpretation of Nakajima, although the CJEU has been reluctant to abolish it altogether. This section also analyses the feasibility of establishing the intention to implement WTO law based on external circumstances (Section III.B) and demonstrates Nakajima’s significance beyond EU law (Section III.C). Section IV criticizes the CJEU’s combination of Nakajima and the principle of interpreting EU law in consistency with international law. Section V concludes.

Citation

Stoyanov, K. (2021). Three Decades of the Nakajima Doctrine in EU Law: Where Are We Now?. Journal of International Economic Law, 24(4), 724-737. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgab042

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 18, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Dec 14, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 9, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 18, 2022
• Journal: Journal of International Economic law.
• Print ISSN: 1369-3034
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-3758
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 724-737
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgab042
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1223837