爱尔兰法律体系介绍IntroductiontotheIrishLegalSystem

1、爱尔兰法律体系介绍(Introduction to the Irish Legal System)日期：2006-06-16来源：中国民商法律网作者：字体：大 中 小本篇文章是爱尔兰外交部同爱尔兰驻华使馆一同准备的四篇文章中的第一篇。它旨在 提供爱尔兰在法律和法律实施方面的信息。紧接下来的文章介绍了法律体系的主要特征，重点介绍爱尔兰法律的起源。后面的文章将介绍爱尔兰法院系统和司法作用，法律专业，知识产权法的内容和实施及特别案例。This article forms the first of a series of four articles prepared by the Departm en

2、t of Foreign Affairs of Ireland in cooperation with the Embassy of Ireland in Beiji ng, aimed at providing information on Irish law and practice. What follows is an ac count of the primary features of the Irish legal system focusing on the sources of I rish law. Forthcoming articles will provide inf

3、ormation on the courts system and the role of the judiciary, the legal profession, the practice and substanee of intellectual property law in Ireland, and particular cases of interest.爱尔兰的法律体系The Irish Legal System爱尔兰的法律体制有些特别，它是由英国传统的习惯法派生而来。在过去的七年里， 通过两国司法和立法机构的共同努力，爱尔兰的法律体系有了很大的发展。爱尔兰1921年的独立标志着它

4、的法律体系从英国的体系中分裂出来，1937年，爱尔兰人民又颁布了爱尔兰宪法。它制定了治国的基本原则并纳入了许多基本权利的条款。爱尔兰加入欧盟后，法律体系也有所改变，最重要的改变是在其权限内本国法律服从欧洲法律。Irelandlegal system is somewhat unique. While it is derived from the Englishcom mon law traditi on, the past seve nty years have see n the Irish legal system un dergo a process of dynamic develop

5、ment at the initiative of both the judiciary and t he legislature. The achievement of independence in 1921 marked a break from the British system and was followed by the enactment of the Irish Constitution by the P eople in 1937. This laid out the fun dame ntal prin ciples upon which the State was t

6、 o be gover ned and also in corporated exte nsive fun dame ntal rights provisi ons. Chang es to the legal system have been introduced as a consequenee of Ireland member ship of the Europea n Union, the most sig ni fica nt of which has bee n the subord in ati on of n ati onal law to Europea n law wit

7、hin its sphere of compete nee.法律的构成Sources of Law宪法The Constitution爱尔兰宪法于1937年7月全民表决通过，是国家的高级法。爱尔兰语“Bunreacht na hEireann 意”思,是“爱尔兰基本法”，任何与其发生冲突的习惯法和立法的规定都是没有法律 效力的。它分为两个部分，第一部分规定了国家的立法、 执法和司法机构。宪法强调了上述 三个机构间权利的严格划分。 第二部分明确规定国家将通过法律来保证公民的基本权利得到 尊重和维护。宪法的解释和维护工作是由法院来做的， 因此法院在国家制定社会政策方面起 到了重要的作用。同样，法院

8、在对制定有法律依据但在宪法中未明确规定的权利的法律原则 方面起了辅助作用。最近我们注意到了欧洲保护人权和基本自由公约开始实施， 这一公约规 定了国家在人权领域一套新的法律职责。 在司法运作中，法院是绝对独立的，它只服从于宪 法和法律。The Irish Constitution was adopted by popular referendum in July 1937 and is the superior law of the State. Its Irish language title is Bunreachtna hEireann w'hi ch means basiclaw

9、 of Ireland a'nd any common law or legislative rule which is fo und to be in conflict with it is invalid and consequently without legal effect. It can be divided into two parts, the first of which establishes the legislative, executive an d judicial organs of the State. The Constitution insists

10、upon a strict separation of po wers between these three organs of State. The second part articulates certain funda mental rights of the citizen which the State guarantees in and by its laws, to respe ct, defend and vindicate. The task of interpreting and upholding the Constitution ha s been entruste

11、d to the Courts which have therefore had a significant role in shapi ng the social policy of the State. Similarly, the Courts have been instrumental in de veloping the doctrine of unenumerated rights which has its basis in the Constitution.It may also be of interest to note the recent incorporation

12、of the European Conve ntion for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms which has intr oduced a new set of legal obligations for the State within the area of human rights.In the exercise of their judicial function the Courts are absolutely independent and subject only to the Constitu

13、tion and the law.习惯法Common Law爱尔兰是一个习惯法国家之一。它的法律体系的特点是依靠司法判决，而司法判决往 往是根据享有法律效力的先例而定。 习惯法是法律的起源， 它是经过长时间的司法判决而出 现的一个法律体系。现在在爱尔兰许多地方仍在使用习惯法的细则， 目前的趋势是立足于将 绝大部分法律变成法定法律。 1975 年我们成立了一个法律改革委员会，其任务就是改革和 更新爱尔兰过时的法律。委员会的许多建议已在立法中得以实施。As a member of the common law family, Ireland 'le gsal system is chara

14、cterised by its reliance on judicial decisions, which by virtue of the doctrine of precedent e njoy binding force of law. The common law, as a source of law, refers to a discern ible body of law which has emerged from centuries of judicial decisions. While man y areas of Irish law are still governed

15、 by common law rules, the current trend is to wards putting most law on a statutory footing. In 1975 a Law Reform Commission was established with the task of reforming and modernising outdated aspects of Iris h law. Many of its recommendations have been implemented in legislation.立法Legislation国家的立法机

16、构是国家议会，它由两院组成，即众议院和参议院。作为全民选举的议 院，众议院比参议院享有更多的优势。 一个提案在总统签署成为法律之前必须在两院得以通 过。爱尔兰立法包括两类，一类是初级立法， 它包括议院法案也称之为法令。另一类是二级 立法，它包括议会授权的个人或组织制定出来的措施。The legislative organ of the State is the Oireachtas (the National Parliament) w hich consists of two Houses, Da ilEireann (the House of Representatives) and Se

17、ana d Eirea nn (the Sen ate). As the popularly elected House, Da ilEirea nn enjoys suprem acy over the Seanad. A Bill must be passed by both Houses before being signed int o law by the President. Irish legislation falls into two categories. The first, primary l egislation consists of Acts of the Oir

18、eachtas, also known as statutes. The second ca tegory is called delegated or secondary legislation which consists of measures enact ed by a person or body to whom the Oireachtas has delegated legislative authority.欧洲法律European Law1973 年 7 月爱尔兰加入了欧盟，当时该组织被称之为欧洲共同体。成为欧盟成员国之 后，欧盟要求爱尔兰的本国法在共同体权限范围内服从共同体

19、法。 为此， 爱尔兰需要修正其 宪法以表示这一协议的实施。 爱尔兰法中现在有一项条款规定在本国宪法中没有任何条款可 以阻止共同体法在爱尔兰的法律实施。对于作为欧盟成员国国家的需要所通过的国家法律， 宪法也无权使其无效。On 1 July 1973 Ireland became a member of what was then the European Co mmunities. In doing so Ireland was required to accept the supremacy of Community law over Irish law in areas of Communi

20、ty competence. It was therefore necessary to amend the Irish Constitution to reflect this arrangement. There is now a provisio n which ensures that nothing in the Constitution can prevent Community law from having the force of law in the State. Nor can the Constitution be used to invalidate any nati

21、onal law adopted which was necessitated by membership of the European Union or the Communities.共同体法包括条约法及共同体各机构通过的欧洲司法和立法院的判决。立法最为重要 的是形式是法规和指令 .法规适用于各成员国，它绕过了各国正常的立法程序。指令与法规 不同， 它对成员国提出一些法律要求， 但如何满足这些要求， 则由各国按照本国的法律自行 决定。在爱尔兰， 指令通常是通过二级立法来实施。 欧洲法院和爱尔兰法院受委托共同监督 并确保共同体法的实施。Community law takes the for

22、m of treaty law, judgments of the European Court of Justice and legislation enacted by the Community institutions. The most significa nt forms of Community legislation are Regulations and Directives. Regulations are au tomatically applicable within the Member States and in that sense they bypass the normal legislative procedures of the State. Directives