Soft law in European Union governance: between administrative efficiency and legal certainty

Andreea Nicoleta Dragomir

Autori

Andreea Nicoleta Dragomir Universitea Lucian Blaga, Sibiu Autor

Cuvinte cheie:

soft law, Uniunea Europeană, guvernanţă, securitate juridică, Semestrul European

Rezumat

Folosind Codul de bună guvernanță al Comisiei Europene (CCG) ca studiu de caz, articolul arată că principalul avantaj al soft law-ului, pentru orice sistem de guvernanță, constă în flexibilitatea și rapiditatea cu care acesta poate reacționa la schimbările politice, sociale și economice. Deși nu au caracter obligatoriu, astfel de instrumente reprezintă un reper util atunci când vine vorba de influențarea acțiunilor statelor membre, formularea politicilor publice și pregătirea terenului pentru legislația ulterioară. Lucrarea analizează ce este soft law, motivele pentru care este utilizat pe scară largă și domeniile de politici în care acesta a devenit vizibil – de la coordonarea economică și politica socială la transformarea digitală, măsurile de mediu și sănătatea publică. Analiza evidențiază, de asemenea, tensiunile generate de recurgerea tot mai frecventă la soft law. Pe de o parte, aceste instrumente permit coordonarea și inovarea; pe de altă parte, riscă să evite controlul parlamentar și să dilueze responsabilitatea. Articolul examinează legătura dintre soft law și hard law, precum și semnificația acesteia pentru statul de drept și pentru principiile bunei guvernanțe. Concluzia este că soft law reprezintă un important complement al legislației obligatorii, oferind un cadru flexibil pentru cooperare și experimentare. Totuși, valoarea sa depinde de transparență, implicarea publică și evaluarea constantă a performanței. Numai în aceste condiții soft law poate aduce o contribuție decisivă la legitimitatea și eficiența guvernanței europene.

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