No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
Kelsen in Paris: France's Constitutional Reform and the Introduction of A Posteriori Constitutional Review of Legislation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
Extract
On 23 July 2008, the President of the French Republic promulgated – two days after the final vote of the two chambers of Parliament sitting jointly in Congrès (Congress) – the constitutional revision bill “de modernisation des institutions de la Vème République” (of modernization of the institutions of the Fifth Republic) n° 2008–724. The bill was mainly based on the research work done by a comité des sages (expert committee) “de réflexion et de proposition sur la modernisation et le rééquilibrage des institutions de la Vème République” (for the reflection and the proposition on the modernization and rebalancing of the institutions of the Fifth Republic). It had been presented by the Government to Parliament on 23 April 2008 and twice voted for by the Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly) and the Sénat (Senate).
- Type
- Articles
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2008 by German Law Journal GbR
References
1 Federico Fabbrini is a PhD student at the Law Department, European University Institute. He holds an undergraduate degree summa cum laude in European and Transnational Law at the University of Trento School of Law (Italy) and a JD summa cum laude in International Law at the University of Bologna School of Law (Italy). He was aggregated fellow at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris (France) in 2007 and a visiting student at the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (USA) in 2005. Email: Federico.Fabbrini@EUI.eu.Google Scholar
2 The full text of the revision bill is published on the Official Journal of the French Republic n. 171 of 24 July 2008 and available in French in the web site of the Government at: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000019237256 as well as is in the web sites of the National Assembly at: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/dossiers/reforme_5eme.asp and of the Senate at: http://www.senat.fr/dossierleg/pjl07-365.html, last accessed 25 September 2008. These websites also contain in French the bill presented by the Government and all the documents of the parliamentary revision procedure, including the report of the Law Commissions, the amendments proposed and the text of the bill as approved in both Chambers. For an overview of the political context in which the revision took place see: Stefano Ceccanti, Le istituzioni ed il sistema politico dopo il primo quinquiennato, in La Francia di Sarkozy, 27 (Gianfranco Baldini & Marc Lazar eds., 2007); Paolo Passaglia, Le elezioni legislative in Francia: più conferme che novità, 4 Quaderni Costituzionali (Quad. Cost.) 860 (2007)Google Scholar
3 The full text of the research work is available in French in the web site of the Comité at: http://www.comite-constitutionnel.fr, last accessed 25 September 2008. The website also provides in French the Presidential decree establishing the Comité as well as the name of its 12 members and all the documents thereof among which the final report entitled Une Véme République plus démocratique (2007). For an overview of the work of the Comité and an early comment on its proposals see: Federico Fabbrini, Francia: è arrivata l'ora dell'exception d'inconstitutionnalité? 1 Quad. Cost. 150 (2008); Federico Fabbrini, Breaking from Tradition: Reshaping the French System of Constitutional Review, 2 Washington Undergraduate Law Review (WULR) No.1 1 (2008)Google Scholar
4 The full text of the French Constitution is available in English in the International Constitutional Law web site at http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/fr00000_.html, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
5 Bertrand Mathieu & Michel Verpeaux, Droit constitutionnel 220 (2004). Since the constitutional revision of 1962, however, another way of amending the Constitution has been found in Article 11 that affirms: “The President of the Republic may, on the proposal of the Government during sessions, or on a joint motion of the two Assemblies published in the Official Journal, submit to a referendum any bill dealing with the organization of the governmental authorities […]”. See, Dominique Rousseau, L'invenzione continua della V Repubblica, in L'ordinamento costituzionale della V Repubblica francese, 34, 75 (Dominique Rousseau ed., 2000)Google Scholar
6 Une Veme Republique plus democratique, 7 (2007)Google Scholar
7 Patrick Roger, La derniére mue?, in Le Monde, 21 May 2008Google Scholar
8 Carlo Fusaro, Le radici del semipresidenzialismo, 75 (1998)Google Scholar
9 Stefano Ceccanti, La forma di governo parlamentare in trasformazione, 107 (1997)Google Scholar
10 Gerome Courtois, Le Parlement à qui perd gagne, in Le Monde, 21 May 2008Google Scholar
11 Hans Kelsen, Reine Rechtslehre (1960). English translation by Max Knight: Pure theory of law (1989)Google Scholar
12 Mauro Cappelletti, Il controllo giudiziario di costituzionalità delle leggi nel diritto comparato 52 (1972)Google Scholar
13 Rosenfeld, Michel, Constitutional Adjudication in Comparative Perspective: The European Model as Against the American in Terms of Politics, Law and Interpretation (Association of American Law Schools, Conference on Constitutional Law, Washington, 5–8 June 2002) available at: http://www.aals.org/profdev/constitutional/rosenfeld.html, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
14 Luther, Jörg, La composizione dei tribunali costituzionali e le autonomie territoriali, in La composizione della Corte Costituzionale: situazione italiana ed esperienze straniere, 67, 76 (Adele Anzon & Gaetano Azzariti eds., 2004)Google Scholar
15 Troper, Michel, Judicial Power and Democracy, in 1 European Journal of Legal Studies (EJLS) No.2 1 (2007)Google Scholar
16 Alec Stone Sweet, The birth of judicial politics in France, 8 (1992)Google Scholar
17 Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)Google Scholar
18 Hoffmann-Riem, Wolfgang, Two Hundred Years of Marbury v. Madison: The Struggle for Judicial Review of Constitutional Questions in the United States and in Europe, in 5 German Law Journal No.6, 685, 687 (2004)Google Scholar
19 Federalist Papers, number LI (J. Madison)Google Scholar
20 Augusto Barbera, Le basi filosofiche del costituzionalismo, 6 (1997)Google Scholar
21 Jean Jacques Rousseau, le contrat social, Book 2, Chapter 1 (1762) Italian Translation by Valentino Gerratana: Il contratto sociale, 63 (1965)Google Scholar
22 Id., Book 2, Chapter 3. Italian Translation by Valentino Gerratana: Il contratto sociale, 68 (1965)Google Scholar
23 Id. Google Scholar
24 Montesquieu, L'esprit des lois, Book 11, Chapter 6 (1748) Italian translation by Mauro Cotta: Il pensiero politico di Montesquieu 207 (1995)Google Scholar
25 Stone Sweet, supra note 16, 26Google Scholar
26 Donnarumma, Maria Rosaria, Un mito infranto: l'intangibilité de la loi. Il controllo della ‘ragionevolezza’ delle leggi in Francia, in 4 Dirittoe Società (Dir. Soc.) 521, 579 (2007)Google Scholar
27 Eisenmann, Charles, La pensée constitutionnelle de Montesquieu, in La pensee politique et constitutionnelle de Montesquieu: bicentenaire de L'esprit des lois 1748–1948, 133 (Boris Mirkine-Guetzévitch & Henri Puget eds., 1952)Google Scholar
28 Ceccanti, Stefano, La V Repubblica: un lento (e parziale) avvicinamento alle altre forme di governo europee, in L'ordinamento costituzionale della V Repubblica francese, 13, 14 (Dominique Rousseau ed., 2000)Google Scholar
29 Louis Favoreu & Loic Philip, Le grandes decisions du Conseil Constitutional, 177 (2005)Google Scholar
30 Textes et documents sur la pratique institutionnelle de la Veme Republique, 5 (Didier Maus ed., 1978)Google Scholar
31 Stone Sweet, supra note 16, 47Google Scholar
32 Loi referendaire Décision 62–20 DC, 6 November 1962Google Scholar
33 Favoreu, Louis, Le Conseil Constitutionnel régulateur de l'activité normative des pouvoirs publics, in Revue du Droit Public (RDP) 7 (1967)Google Scholar
34 Before the Constitutional Revision law n° 1974–904 only the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the two Assemblies could refer a law to the Constitutional Council. See: Jean Jacques Chevallier, Guy Carcassonne & Olivier Duhamel, La Ve Republique: 1958–2004 231(2004)Google Scholar
35 Stone Sweet, supra note 16, 8Google Scholar
36 Giuseppe De Vergottini, Diritto Costituzionale Comparato, 186 (2004)Google Scholar
37 Stone Sweet, supra note 16, 8Google Scholar
38 Alec Stone Sweet, The Juridical Coup d'Etat and the Problem of Authority, in 8 German Law Journal No.10, 915, 922 (2007)Google Scholar
39 Liberté d'association Décision 71–44 DC, 16 July 1971Google Scholar
40 Mathieu, Bertrand & Verpaux, Michel, La garantie des droits et libértes, in Le Conseil Constitutionnel 91, 92 (Michel Verpaux & Maryvonne Bonnard eds., 2007)Google Scholar
41 Favoreu & Philip, supra note 29, 254Google Scholar
42 Dominique Rousseau, Droit du contentieux constitutionnel, 63 (2004)Google Scholar
43 See, supra, note 34Google Scholar
44 Stone Sweet, supra note 16, 60Google Scholar
45 A constitutional bill amending the Constitution to introduce a posteriori constitutional review was submitted to Parliament by the President of the Republic Mitterand on 30 March 1990, under the advice of the former President of the Constitutional Council Badinter. After two separate votes in the Assemblée Nationale and the Sénat, however, the two chambers of Parliaments, because of the opposition of the conservative party, didn't agree on the same text and therefore the proposal failed. A similar draft written by constitutional law professor Vedel was later presented to Parliament on 10 March 1993, but was dismissed by new conservative majority elected in spring. For a historical overview of these event see: Nicolo Zanon, L'exception d'incontitutionnalite in Francia: una riforma difficile 93 (1990); Didier Maus, Nouveaux regards sur le contrôle de constitutionnalité per voie d'exception, in Melanges en l'honneur de Michel Troper, 665, 668 (Véronique Champeil-Desplats et al. eds., 2007). The main features of the two proposal are analyzed by: Jean Luc Warsmann, Rapport fait au nom de la Commision des Loi Constitutionnelles de l'Assemble Nationale n. 892–2008 439 (2008) available in French at: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/rapports/r0892.asp, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
46 The Conseil d'Etat is the French Supreme Court for administrative justice. It hears both recourses against decrees and other executive decisions as well as appellate cases from lower administrative courts. Its decisions are final.Google Scholar
47 The Cour de Cassation is the French Supreme Court for civil and criminal justice. It is the main court of last resort in France (excluding cases of administrative justice, which go before the Conseil d'Etat)Google Scholar
48 Author's translation. For the French text consult the Official Journal of the French Republic n. 171 of July 24th 2008 available at: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000019237256, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
49 Cappelletti, , supra note 12, 98Google Scholar
50 Zagrebelsky, Gustavo, La giurisdizione costituzionale, in Manuale di Diritto Pubblico, 657, 666 (Giuliano Amato & Augusto Barbera eds., 1991)Google Scholar
51 See, supra, note 48Google Scholar
52 Zanon, supra note 45, 129Google Scholar
53 Jean Luc Warsmann, supra note 45, 439Google Scholar
54 Onida, Valerio, Giurisdizione e giudici nella giurisprudenza della Corte Costituzionale, in Corte Costituzionale e sviluppo della forma di governo in Italia, 159 (Paolo Barile et al. eds., 1984)Google Scholar
55 The question was raised by professor Mathieu during an interview with the members of the Law Commission of the Assemblée Nationale and is reported in Warsmann, supra note 45, 438Google Scholar
56 Sandulli, Aldo Maria, La giustizia, in Istituzioni di diritto amministrativo, 381, 392 (Sabino Cassese ed., 2004)Google Scholar
57 Griffi, Andrea Patroni, Il Conseil Constitutionnel e il controllo della ‘ragionevolezza', in 1 Rivista Italiana Diritto Pubblico Comuitarto (RIDPC) 39, 73 (1998)Google Scholar
58 Maus, supra note 45, 675Google Scholar
59 Olivier Dutheillet de Lamothe, Contrôle de constitutionnalité et contrôle de conventionnalité, in Melanges en l'honneur de Daniel Labetoulle, 1, 13 (Ronny Abraham et al. eds., 2007)Google Scholar
60 Barbera, supra note 20, 13Google Scholar
61 Une Veme Republique, supra note 2, 90Google Scholar
62 Kelsen, Hans, Wer soll der Hüter der Verfassung sein? in Die Justiz, 576–628 (1930) Translated in Italian by Carmelo Geraci: La giustizia costituzionale 239 (1981); italics in the original textGoogle Scholar
63 Hans Kelsen, Reihne Rechtslehere (1934) Translated in Italian by Renato Treves: Lineamenti di dottrina pura del diritto, 105 (2000)Google Scholar
64 Kelsen, Hans, La garantie jurisdictionnelle de la Constitution (La justice constitutionnelle), in XXXV RDP, 197–257 (1928) Translated in Italian by Carmelo Geraci, La giustizia costituzionale, 170 (1981)Google Scholar
65 Warsmann, supra note 45, 435Google Scholar
66 Cappelletti, supra note 12, 94Google Scholar
67 Kelsen, Hans, Judicial Review of Legislation. A comparative study of the Austrian and the American Constitution, in Journal of Politics (Jour. of Pol.), 183–200 (1942) Translated in Italian by Geraci, Carmelo, La giustizia costituzionale, 308 (1981)Google Scholar
68 Available in French at: http://ameli.senat.fr/amendements/2007-2008/365/Amdt_321.html, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
69 Barbera, supra note 20, 13Google Scholar
70 Andrea Morrone, Il custode della ragionevolezza, 506 (2000)Google Scholar
71 Bogdany, Armin Von, The European Union as a Human Rights Organization?, in 37 Common Market Law Review (CML Rev), 1307, 1308 (2000)Google Scholar
72 Cartabia, Marta, L'ora dei diritti fondamentali nell'Unione Europea, in I diritti in azione, 1, 37 (Marta Cartabia ed., 2007)Google Scholar
73 Wildhaber, Luzius, A constitutional future for the European Court of Human Rights?, in 23 Human Rights Law Journal (HRLJ) 161 (2002)Google Scholar
74 Andriantsimbazovina, Joel, La prise en compte de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme par le Conseil Constitutionnel, in 18 Cahiers du Conseil Constitutionnel 1 (2004); Maus, supra note 45, 673; Ziller, Jacques, L'européisation du droit: de l'Elargissement des champs du droit de l'Union européenne à une transformation des droits des Etats membres, in EUI Law Dept. Working Papers No.19, 6 (2006)Google Scholar
75 Tega, Diletta, La CEDU nella giurisprudenza della Corte Costituzionale, in 2 Quad. Cost. 431 (2007)Google Scholar
76 The speech of Prime Minister Fillon at the Assemblée Nationale on May 20th 2008 to present the constitutional revision bill is available at: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cri/2007-2008/20080161.asp#INTER_0, last accessed 25 September 2008.Google Scholar
77 Mauro Cappelletti, La giurisdizione delle libertà (1955)Google Scholar
78 Morrone, supra note 70, 524Google Scholar
79 See, among others: Norberto Bobbio, L'età dei diritti (1992), Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Il diritto mite 97 (1992); Peter Häberle, Diritto e Verità (2000); Alessandra Facchi, I diritti nell'Europa multiculturale 21 (2001); Antonio Cassese, I diritti umani oggi 3 (2005); Jürgen Habermas, Lotta di riconoscimento nello stato democratico di diritto, in Multiculturalismo, 63 (Jürgen Habermas & Charles Taylor eds., 2005); Alessandra Facchi, Breve storia dei diritti umani 144 (2007);Google Scholar
80 Just to recall some of the wide literature on the issue, see: Ronald Dworkin, Taking rights seriously (1977); Ronald Dworkin, Freedom's Law: The moral reading of the American Constitution, 17 (1996); Barbera, supra note 20, 10; Morrone, supra note 70, 508; Bongiovanni, Giorgio, Spirito protestante, libertà religiosa e Dichiarazioni americane e francese, in La Dichiarazione dei diritti dell'Uomo e del Cittadino di George Jellinek, v, xviii (Giorgio Bongiovanni ed., 2002); Michael Ignatieff, Una ragionevole apologia dei diritti umani, 34 (2003); Dieter Grimm, Il significato della stesura di un catalogo europeo dei diritti fondamentali, in Diritti e Costituzione nell'Unione Europea, 5 (Gustavo Zagrebelsky ed., 2003); Bogdany, Armin Von, Il costituzionalismo nel diritto internazionale, in Popoli e Civilità, 183 (Gustavo Gozzi & Giorgio Bongiovanni eds., 2006)Google Scholar
81 Favoreau, Louis, La questione préjudicielle de constitutionnalité, in Melanges en l'honneur de Philippe Ardant, 265 (Guy Carcassonne et al. eds., 1999)Google Scholar
82 Ceccanti, Stefano, Ora la Francia è un pò meno gollista, in Il Riformista, 22 July 2008 Google Scholar
83 Courtois, Gerome, Réforme constitutionnelle: Badinter face à Balladur, in Le Monde, 11 June 2008 Google Scholar
84 Hoffmann-Riem, supra note 18, 689Google Scholar