EU TFEU: Public policy, public security and public health exceptions

‘Public policy, public security or public health’ form a potent formula for exceptions concerning the fundamental principles of free movement, citizenship rights, freedom to provide services and freedom of establishment within the European Community (European Union).

Here we look at the exemptions in the light of the present Treaty establishing the European Community and the coming Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Treaty of Lisbon), with a glance towards the draft Constitution and the Constitutional Treaty along the route.

The concrete provision we deal with concerns these exceptions in the context of the freedom of establishment, but often more than one of the rights and freedoms occur in the same case.

A few hints on further reading follow, meant to facilitate understanding of the system and strict interpretation of derogations.


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In the Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) the intergovernmental conference (IGC 2007) made no specific amendments to Article 46 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC). Cf. Official Journal, OJ, 17.12.2007 C 306/54-55.

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The latest consolidated version of the existing treaties, TEU and TEC, presents Article 46 TEC as it now stands (OJ 29.12.2006 C 321 E/61):

Article 46 TEC

1. The provisions of this Chapter and measures taken in pursuance thereof shall not prejudice the applicability of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action providing for special treatment for foreign nationals on grounds of public policy, public security or public health.

2. The Council shall, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251, issue directives for the coordination of the abovementioned provisions.

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To arrive at a consolidated Lisbon Treaty version of an Article requires that we check if one or more of the following apply: express amendments (here none), horizontal amendments (here one), renumbering of the provision (yes) and renumbering of possible referrals (here none).

The location of the Article is thrown in as a matter of reading convenience in a post read in isolation.

Thus, we should end up with the following Article, consolidated according to the Treaty of Lisbon:

Part Three ‘Policies and internal actions of the Union’

Title III (renumbered Title IV) ‘Free movement of persons, services and capital’

Chapter 2 ‘Right of establishment’

Article 46 TFEU (ToL), renumbered Article 52 TFEU

1. The provisions of this Chapter and measures taken in pursuance thereof shall not prejudice the applicability of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action providing for special treatment for foreign nationals on grounds of public policy, public security or public health.

2. The European Parliament and the Council shall, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, issue directives for the coordination of the abovementioned provisions.

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The European Convention changed just enough of the wording in Article III-25 of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe to merit repeating, but without changing anything of substance (OJ 18.7.2003 C 169/32):

Article III-25 Draft Constitution

1. This Subsection and measures adopted in pursuance thereof shall not prejudice the applicability of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States providing for special treatment for foreign nationals on grounds of public policy, public security or public health.

2. European framework laws shall coordinate the national provisions referred to in paragraph 1.

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The IGC 2004 adopted the draft text unchanged in Article III-140 of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (OJ 16.12.2004 C 310/62).

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The IGC 2007 followed the adage ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, thus preserving the current wording (with the one technical or horizontal amendment concerning the ordinary legislative procedure).

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The Commission’s internal market web pages on services offer an introductory page ‘General principles: Freedom to provide services / Freedom of establishment’ (last update 28 January 2008):

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/services/principles_en.htm

There is a link to a 112 page ‘Guide to the Case Law of the European Court of Justice on Articles 43 et seq. EC Treaty: Freedom of Establishment’, from 1 January 2001, but with an update promised shortly:

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/services/docs/infringements/art43_en.pdf

Available on the web you can find the following:

J.H.H. Weiler and Martina Kocjan: The Law of the European Union, Teaching Material, The Internal Market: Freedom to Provide Services, Freedom of Establishment (NYU School of Law 2004/2005; 72 pages):

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/services/docs/infringements/art43_en.pdf

A detailed study is:

Markku Kiikeri: The Freedom of Establishment in the European Union, Report to the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2002 (133 pages + Annexes XIX pages):

http://www.helsinki.fi/publaw/opiskelu/Eurooppaoikeus/Sijoittautumistutkimus.englanti.Kiikeri.pdf

These materials offer a fair grounding in the fundamental questions regarding the freedom of establishment, leaving only the latest developments of secondary legislation and case law to be unearthed by the reader.


Ralf Grahn

P.S. Both the draft Constitution and the Constitutional Treaty were published quickly, and they were already 'consolidated versions'. We have to go back to the ill-fated Treaty of Nice to find a treaty published in a consolidated version only after entering into force.

Some would argue that a few things have happened in net publishing since 2001.

Anyway, a long wait seems to draw to a close, when the consolidated Lisbon Treaty is published 15 April 2008, and in book form 9 May 2008 (Europe day).