Bloomsbury Reconceptualising European Equality Law: A Comparative Institutional Analysis: 69 (Modern Studies in European Law)

This important new book seeks to widen the understanding of the principle of equality within European law. Firstly, it deconstructs the European Court of Justice’s adjudication of cases in the field. It then explores how the Member States’ courts decide on the question of equality. This detailed rigorous research allows the author to argue for a reconceptualised equality doctrine. Such an adaptation, the author argues, will provide judges, practitioners and academics with the tools to balance institutional considerations against substantive interpretation. Theoretically ambitious, while grounded in practical application, this is a significant restatement of one of the key principles of European law: the equality doctrine. Review Reconceptualising EU equality law is a great challenge. Johanna Croon-Gestefeld approaches it from an angle that, in practice, is often veiled and not fully understood by the public. By trying to make sense of the CJEU’s equality adjudication and analysing it from a comparative-institutional point of view, she contributes to a better understanding of EU equality law. One of the strengths of this book is that she provides concrete tools and techniques for judges to carry out such a comparative institutional analysis (see, in particular, Chapter 7). This book can therefore be warmly recommended as a very worthwhile read. --European Journal of Social Security Elisabeth Brameshuber, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business Croon-Gestefeld’s reconceptualization of EU equality law revisits the subject matter in a provoking and fascinating way, trying to lift the mystery surrounding the ECJ’s deliberations, and thus contributing to a better understanding and awareness of the complexity characterizing that set of rules and its enforcement. Practitioners and researchers interested in EU equality law will therefore find the book particularly interesting and useful. --Common Market Law Review Federico Casolari About the Author Johanna Croon-Gestefeld is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Chair of Civil Law, European and International Private Law at Bucerius Law School.