The Influence of the European Law on the Development of International Law

Abstract European legal norms have exerted significant influence on international legal orders, in particular in the fields of trade, arbitration, and human rights law. This study investigates the extent of European law's influence on international legal orders by examining principal trends and case studies. This study reveals the worldwide spread of EU-style competition laws, investor-state dispute settlement regimes, and regulatory norms in non-European legal orders. Based on a qualitative approach, the study evaluates the influence of the ECHR on United Nations treaties, regional human rights courts, and national legal orders. Results show that EU competition policy shapes global trade rules, GDPR serves as a model for data protection laws around the world, and European human rights jurisprudence is widely cited in international courts. The study concludes that European legal norms continue to drive international legal harmonization, solidifying the EU's role as a global legal standard-setter.