The Principle of Equality Among Member States of the European Union

The present chapter is aimed at reconstructing the evolution of the principle of equality among EU Member States, a principle first introduced by the Constitutional Treaty and now reaffirmed by the Treaty of Lisbon (Article 4(2) TEU). The research is divided into two parts, the first one analyzing the relation between equality and sovereignty and the second addressing the way the principle of equality among Member States relates to the principles of sincere cooperation, national identity and solidarity that, as we will see, influence the idea of equality itself. In summary, we will see whether the relations among the Member States of the European Union can be framed by the idea of equality among States as it was developed in international law or whether that idea should rather be reshaped in light of the Union’s supranational nature.