Individual Rights in EU Law

This book explores the EU law notion of ‘individual rights’. It examines which sorts of rules grant EU legal rights to individuals, how it is decided if a right is conferred, and which individuals may claim the judicial protection of a right. It further discusses the legal implications and consequences of holding an EU legal right with respect to the interpretation and application of EU law in general and to specific remedies such as declaratory remedies, injunctions, restitution and damages. On a more overarching level, the book explores the question of how the idea of EU law rights relates to other fundamental EU law concepts such as the principles of effectiveness and direct effect, and discusses the legal stringency of the EU courts’ ‘rights language’ in light of the overall aim of European integration. It thus contributes to the body of literature that aims to shed new light on the borders of the sui generis legal order that is EU law.