ABSTRACT
The Schuman Declaration led to the establishment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The institutional predecessor to the ECJ was the court established through the European Community Treaty (ECT) and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951. The newly established institution became the arbiter for disputes arising under the subsequent Economic European Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) through the Treaties of Rome (1957). European unification only begins practically to be possible once a judicial structure is created to act as a nexus between peace and prosperity. In a series of decisions from 1963 through 1978, the ECJ solidified the principle that citizens of the Europe Community are entitled to rely upon the Treaties and Community regulations in proceedings before their national courts. The ECJ has gone to great lengths to protect the free flow of labor, capital, and goods across the borders of the Member States.
