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EU Law I: Union CompetencesEU Law I: Union Competences

Dr Thomas Horsley

Liverpool Law School

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  Fundamental RihtsFundamental Rihts  p!"#

 p!"#

Summary

Fundamental rights also bind the Union institutions in the exercise of their

competences

No formal recognition in EEC Treaty (195! to legally binding EU Charter

("##9!

Judicial  origins of EU rights protection (esp$ Handelsgesellschaft !

Subse%uent emergence of political initiatives& culminating in introduction of EU

Charter on Fundamental 'ights ("### "##9!

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How sini&icant is the Charter$ p!"'How sini&icant is the Charter$ p!"'

On the one hand 8

  :The ;orld0s most modern and comprehensi*e statement of

human rights and fundamental freedomsnclusion of economic and social rights alongside traditional ci*il

and political rights

= Captures contemporary rights constellations (e$g$ ?rt 4("!(d!!

On the other hand 8  Certain rights hea*ily %ualified ;ith reference to @ember

State la; (e$g$ ?rt 9 on the right to marry!

  @ore generally /hori6ontal pro*isions0 (A general pro*isions!

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  EU Charter Rihts: DeroationsEU Charter Rihts: Deroations

 p!"' p!"' ?rt 5"(1! Charter rights are subBect to derogation

However 8

- Derogations must be provided for by law and respect theessence of those rights and freedoms.

- Must be necessary and genuinely meet objectives of general

interest recognised by the nion or the need to protect the rights and

freedoms of others.

-!"#H$ definitions as %floor& re. scope of rights '(rt )*'+,

and (rt )+ "#$,

 

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EU CH(RTER: LE)(L ST(TUSEU CH(RTER: LE)(L ST(TUS  p!"* p!"*

.egally binding since .isbon ()ec$ "##9!

For Budicial confirmation post-.isbon& see e$g$ chec/e and "ifert  "#1#D

EC' >-11#+4

C7

01n accordance with (rticle 2'3, 4"5 the "uropean nion recognises

the rights5 freedoms and principles set out in the #harter of

undamental $ights of the "uropean nion6

1n those circumstances5 the validity of 7the contested " $egulations8

must be assessed in the light of the provisions of the #harter 9

'paras ::-:),.

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C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. pp"*/"0C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. pp"*/"0

4wo recent highlights on the legal impact of the " #harter on nion law-

ma/ing in the particular field of data protection;

$e. validity of " law;Digital $ights 1reland '#-*

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C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. pp"*/"0C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. pp"*/"0

Digital $ights 1reland '#-*

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Digital $ights 1reland '#-*

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C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. p!"0C(SE STUD+: D(T( ,R-TECTI-. p!"0

!!Boogle pain @ v. ("C and Bonale '#-3+3=3*,

G )oes EU la; re%uire internet search engine pro*iders to bloc lins to third-

party ;ebpages that are accessible through their search engines ;here the pagescontain inade%uate or irrele*ant information about indi*idualsH

@r Ion6Jle6& a Spanish national& ;anted Ioogle to remo*e search engine lins to

t;o ne;s items published in a Spanish ne;spaper that announced his name in

connection ;ith historic (and no; settled! proceedings for the reco*ery of socialsecurity debts

)id EU la; 3 EU Charter establish such a /right to be forgotten0H >f so& on ;hat

basis and under ;hat conditionsH

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!!Boogle pain @ v. ("C and Bonale '#-3+3=3*,

)irecti*e 953+ EC on the protection of indi*iduals ;ith regard to the processing of personal

data and the free mo*ement of such data

C'>T>C?. GUEST>KN )id the scope of )irecti*e 953+ EC enacted prior to the

internet re*olution and& striingly& not amended since its adoption in 1995 e2tend to

include the acti*ities of search engine pro*idersH >F LES& )>' M C?'TE' ?OO.>ES

 ?ns;er depended& inter alia& on ;hether Ioogle (as search engine pro*ider! %ualified as a

/data controller 0 under )irecti*e 953+ EC

For  ?d*ocate Ieneral 7PPsinen the ans;er ;as no simply supplying through the

pro*ision of intermediary search facilities the location  of information published by third

parties else;here does not constitute /data control$0 actual  influence ;as needed for control

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!!Boogle pain @ v. ("C and Bonale '#-3+3=3*,

Irand Chamber ruled other;ise to find Ioogle a /data controller0

/Search engines playD a decisi*e role in the o*erall dissemination of8 data in that they

renderD the latter accessible to any internet user maing a search on the basis of the

data subBect0s name& including to internet users ;ho ;ould other;ise not ha*e found the

;eb page on ;hich those data are published0 (para$ 4+!

AQ ?s such& Ioogle ;as bound by )irecti*e 953+ EC M EU C?'TE'

The Court then set out Ioogle0s legal obligations under )irecti*e 953+ EC interpreted  in light

of the " #harter  (?rts and CF' protection of pri*acy and personal data!

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!!Boogle pain @ v. ("C and Bonale '#-3+3=3*,

>nterpreted in light of ?rts and EUCF'& )irecti*e 953+ EC guaranteed indi*iduals theright to re%uest internet search pro*iders to delete certain lins to ;ebpages that appear in

the list of results follo;ing a search under their name

The lins to be deleted co*er ;ebpages that contain information that is /inade%uate&

irrele*ant or no longer rele*ant& or e2cessi*e in relation to the purposes of the processing at

issue0$

 ?ny scope for derogation under ?rt 5"(1! EUCF'H

Specific public interest e2ception& but narro;ly construed (see para$ 9!

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Boogle pain has significant implications for the regulation of online pri*acy in EU la;

The decision effecti*ely imposes on Ioogle (and& by e2tension& other maret operators! a

legal responsibility to balance& in indi*idual instances& the data subBect0s rights to pri*acy andthe protection of personal data ;ith the public interest in the freedom of e2pression

Should such decisions be left to maret operatorsH

Ras the Court right to /update0 )irecti*e 953+ EC itself or should it ha*e left this to the

Union legislatureH

Ioogle0s response /the Court0s ruling re%uires Ioogle to mae difficult Budgments about an

indi*idual0s right to be forgotten and the public0s right to no;0

See no; https33support$google$com3legal3contact3lreudpaHproductA;ebsearch 

https://support.google.com/legal/contact/lr_eudpa?product=websearchhttps://support.google.com/legal/contact/lr_eudpa?product=websearch

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