평등원칙 및 기본적 권리 등 EC법상 인정되고 있는 많은 법의 일반원칙의 목록 가운데 특히 ‘비례원칙’은 공동체가 설정한 제 목표와 그 목표를 달성하기 위하여 채택된 수단과의 관계를 규율하는 주요한 법원칙이다. 공동체법상 비례원칙은 본래 회원국(특히, 프랑스와 독일)의 국내법에서 유래한 것으로서 이후 EC조약 및 사법재판소의 법해석을 통하여 점차적으로 공동체의 일반원칙으로 인정되게 되었다. 공동체법상 이 비례의 원칙은 공동농업정책에 관해서 규정하고 있는 EEC조약 제40조 3항에서 직접적으로 유래한다. 즉, 동조에 의하면, 농업시장의 공동조직은 “조약 제39조에 정의된 제 목적을 달성하기 위하여 모든 필요한 조치를 취할 수 있다.”고 규정하고 있다. 이후, 동 원칙은 역외국에 대한 대외무역조치 및 기타 조치, 또한 회원국의 국내적 조치에 대해서도 적용되게 되었다. 이처럼 비례원칙은 원칙적으로 공동체 및 국내적 조치에 적용 가능하지만 EC조약 제5조 3단에 의거하여 공동체의 권한 행사의 남용을 규제하는 역할을 하기도 한다.본 연구에서는 먼저, 유럽공동체법상 비례원칙의 성질에 대해 알아보고, 공동체 차원에서, 특히 특정 정책 분야를 중심으로 비례원칙의 적용과 그 문제점에 대해 분석하였다. 또한 회원국의 국내법 차원에서 비례원칙이 어떻게 적용 가능한가에 대해 검토하고, 공동체법상 법의 일반원칙으로서 비례원칙이 과연 공동체당국이 EC조약에 의하여 규정된 제목적 혹은 공동시장의 기능 및 발전을 확보하는 과정에서 야기될 수 있는 회원국의 권리 침해에 대한 재량권 혹은 권한남용의 규제법리로서 원용될 수 있을까란 점에 대해서도 알아보았다.

The principle of proportionality is an essential legal principle which regulates the relationship between the objectives established by the European Community and the instrument adopted to attain them. This principle in the Community Law came from the domestic law of the Member States, in particular, France and Germany, and has gradually recognized a principle of the Community by the Treaty establishing the European Community and the European Court of Justice. The principle of proportionality is based on the paragraph 3 of Article 40 about the Common Agricultural Policy; according to this article, the common organisation of agricultural market “may include all measures required to attain the objectives set out in Article 39...” Hereafter, this principle has been applied to the external trade measures and internal measures of the Member States. It takes a role to put a restraint on an abuse of exercise of Community's power based on the Article 5 of the Treaty establishing the European Community: “Any action by the Community shall not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of this Treaty.” In order to analyse nature of the principle of proportionality, this paper has studied its concept, application and problems in Community level. After examine the applicability of proportionality in domestic level of the Member States, we know that the abuse of exercise of Community's power is restricted by this power.

The principle of proportionality is an essential legal principle which regulates the relationship between the objectives established by the European Community and the instrument adopted to attain them. This principle in the Community Law came from the domestic law of the Member States, in particular, France and Germany, and has gradually recognized a principle of the Community by the Treaty establishing the European Community and the European Court of Justice. The principle of proportionality is based on the paragraph 3 of Article 40 about the Common Agricultural Policy; according to this article, the common organisation of agricultural market “may include all measures required to attain the objectives set out in Article 39...” Hereafter, this principle has been applied to the external trade measures and internal measures of the Member States. It takes a role to put a restraint on an abuse of exercise of Community's power based on the Article 5 of the Treaty establishing the European Community: “Any action by the Community shall not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of this Treaty.” In order to analyse nature of the principle of proportionality, this paper has studied its concept, application and problems in Community level. After examine the applicability of proportionality in domestic level of the Member States, we know that the abuse of exercise of Community's power is restricted by this power.

legal principles of law, principle of proportionality, European Community, European Court of Justice, Common Agricultural Policy, free movement of goods