This chronicle provides an overview of the main developments in EU administrative law, highlighting the increasingly close administrative cooperation between Member States and EU authorities. This cooperation has accelerated in the context of the EU integration process, particularly since the launch of the Green Deal strategy (which is currently under review) and has become even more necessary in the light of recent global events.
Furthermore, both administrative and judicial review of administrative acts are still highly fragmented. Meanwhile, the role of the preliminary ruling remains crucial to the development and understanding of EU administrative law itself in a global administrative space.
This brief essay focuses on the administrative law principles that guide the actions of Member States within a changing political framework. Equity and solidarity between Member States are essential to ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and sustainable environment. In this context, the four freedoms in the internal market are (also) influenced by sustainability objectives and the need to face the scarcity of some resources.
In turn, the balancing of public interests that may conflict with private ones affects the Member States’ procedural autonomy. The increasing administrative complexity in composite procedures cannot be overlooked in the functional pursuit of the objectives of the EU integration project.
