at Google ScholarTitle data
Purnhagen, Kai ; Wesseler, Justus:
The Icarus Effect in EU Law.
In: Yearbook of European Law.
Vol. 45
(2026)
.
ISSN 2045-0044
Abstract in another language
The EU tries to regulate global markets by setting standards in several policy areas. This Brussels Effect success depends on its market power and the willingness of exporting countries to the European Union (EU) to adopt the EU’s standards. If they are unwilling or do not have the capacity to adopt, the EU is entering into a regulatory competition that it may lose. Such a loss is likely to adversely affect the EU internal market, as it undermines the law-making power of the EU and its Member States, thereby facilitating further loss of market power. Losing out on the Brussels Effect forces businesses to leave the EU, as production becomes more costly there. To prevent this, three measures need to be taken: First, a careful empirical analysis of whether the prerequisites for the Brussels Effect are present in the respective market and intervention is warranted before taking regulatory action. Second, the regulatory measures adopted must provide mechanisms to implement the results of regulatory learning on the effects of the regulatory intervention. Third, stakeholder involvement in the regulatory process is crucial to determine if the regulated are willing to bear additional regulatory costs.
Following an introduction and terminological clarifications, the article will first present the concepts of the Brussels Effect and Global Regulatory Competition, and how they interrelate. It will then illustrate how this interrelation plays out in EU law, using the EU’s legislative measures to implement the extraterritorial effects of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy following the Green Deal. Using the example of the provisions concerning chemicals in the Ecodesign Regulation, and the due diligence requirements in the Deforestation Regulation and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the article will demonstrate how these goals are intended to be achieved. Subsequently, it will discuss the EU’s market power in this area, with the potential to make it more attractive for companies to exit the EU market rather than comply globally with the new EU rules. Finally, the article will connect this to the dynamics of the Brussels Effect and Global Regulatory Competition, concluding that consideration of the three aspects mentioned above is essential before intervening in markets with the intention of triggering a Brussels Effect.
Further data
| Item Type: | Article in a journal |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Law Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health > Chair Food Law > Chair Food Law - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen Profile Fields > Emerging Fields > Innovation and Consumer Protection Profile Fields > Emerging Fields > Food and Health Sciences Research Institutions > Research Units > Forschungsstelle für Deutsches und Europäisches Lebensmittelrecht |
| Result of work at the UBT: | Yes |
| DDC Subjects: | 300 Social sciences > 340 Law |
| Date Deposited: | 11 May 2026 06:11 |
| Last Modified: | 11 May 2026 06:11 |
| URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/97009 |