Resumen de Van Gend en Loos: the individual as subject and object and the dilemma of European Legitimacy

Joseph H. H. Weiler

• This essay examines, first, the reasons for the extraordinary impact and iconic status which are attached to Van Gend en Loos. It argues that the explanation lies in a confluence of structural factors and not in the "direct effect" doctrine simpliciter. It then looks at the "darker" side of the case - a proxy for governance - its contribution to a European narrative of efficiency which disregards the traditional mechanism of democratic legitimacy.