ABOUT BOOK

This chapter explores the constitutional traditions of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries within the broader context of the common constitutional heritage of the European Union. It has two primary aims. The first is to reconstruct the constitutional traditions as expressed in the constitutions of the CEE countries and in the jurisprudence of the constitutional courts. To achieve this goal, the chapter first explains the concept of constitutional traditions and then identifies and describes references to these traditions within the constitutional framework of the 16 CEE countries. The second aim of this chapter is to contrast this understanding of constitutional traditions in the CEE region with the understanding of the common constitutional traditions of the EU Member States as developed in EU law and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union. To achieve this goal, the chapter explains how constitutional traditions are identified in EU law and how their common character in all Member States is determined. The chapter concludes by considering whether the evolving concept of constitutional traditions, including those common to the EU Member States, is progressing towards the development of a common constitutional heritage of the EU.