Principle of Subsidiarity

1 The principle of subsidiarity expressed in Article 5(3) Treaty on European Union (‘TEU’) guides the exercise of the competences of the European Union (EU). It declares that ‘in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, either at central level or at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at Union level’ (Art. 5(3) TEU). In other words,...