With the European small claims procedure, the EU has created a mechanism allowing private parties to pursue cross-border disputes in small claims, an issue normally not worth the while, given the complexity inherent in international lawsuits. It looks like a useful piece of legislation in a time of crisis where the security of financial transactions is more appreciated than ever. Access to justice, by allowing the recovery of money, establishes confidence in transnational relations.

The contributions gathered in this book critically evaluate the application of the European small claims procedure and enquire whether the merits of justice quickly done can serve as an inspirational model for other countries.

Grâce à l'introduction de la procédure européenne des petites créances, l'Union européenne s'est dotée d'un mécanisme permettant aux personnes privées de recourir à une procédure simplifiée en matière de litiges transnationaux. Il semble bien qu'il s'agisse là d'une législation utile, surtout en temps de crise alors que la sécurité des transactions donne la pleine mesure de son importance. L'accès à la justice permet le recouvrement des sommes dues et contribue ainsi au climat de confiance dans les rapports internationaux.

Les contributions regroupées dans ce livre posent un regard critique sur l'application de la procédure européenne des petites créances et examinent en quoi une justice accélérée pourrait servir de modèle pour d'autres pays du monde.

The results of the 2005 referenda in France and the Netherlands have stalled progress towards the European constitution. The EU is thus in a state of limbo, drawn between standstill and the need for reforms, and poses a challenge to social, legal and political science. In this book, authors from North America, Europe and Israel analyse the state of the European integration at the crossroads, with a view to evaluating the extent of the crisis, its causes and consequences, and providing possible ways out of the impasse.

The authors reflect on the nature of the process of European unification and supranational constitutionalization and on the consequences of the rejection for the Union's capacity to act, given its responsibilities, its institutional structure and the legal position of its stakeholders. In addition, central sectors of the Union's activity are singled out, including the Single Market, social policy, foreign policy and justice and home affairs, to illustrate some of the potential consequences of a failure of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Thus, there emerges a picture of what is required regardless of the question whether this Constitution enters into force: directions for advanced integration which take their cue from the nature of the Union in its hybrid state between international organisation and federal state.

L'unification de l'Europe s'est concrétisée lorsqu'en avril 2003, l'Union européenne a décidé d'admettre 10 nouveaux membres. La portée de cette expansion, unique dans l'histoire de l'UE, entraîne dans son sillage des défis sans précédent en ce qui a trait au nombre de personnes impliquées, aux différences sociales et culturelles entre les états concernés, leur importance géostratégique respective ainsi que leur diversité d'intérêts. Au moment où convergent de nombreuses propositions d'approfondissement de l'Union européenne, il est étonnant de constater le support que reçoit ce projet d'élargissement de l'UE. Ce dernier ne peut d'ailleurs pas se définir comme un simple rapport de forces positives et négatives s'annulant entre-elles. Pour l'UE, l'élargissement est davantage une obligation historique qu'un risque calculé. Certaines des plus importantes ramifications de ce changement capital de l'UE sont traitées dans ce livre avec pour objectif d'en clarifier la signification, l'ampleur et les coûts.

The unification of Europe became a fact in April 2003, when the European Union decided to admit 10 new members. The scope of this expansion is unique in the EU's history and brings with it unprecedented challenges in terms of the numbers of people involved, the social and cultural differences between the states that are concerned, as well as in their geo-strategic importance and interests. It is amazing, especially in the light of the simultaneous proposals for the deepening of the European Union, that support for this enlargement of the EU could be found at all. Enlargement is not a zero-sum game where positive and negative aspects can be weighted against each other. For the EU, enlargement is a historical obligation rather that a calculated risk. Some of the more important ramifications of this momentous change are dealt with in the book with the aim of clarifying the significance, the extent and the costs of the coming changes in the EU.