Abstract: This book commemorates the career of Sir Francis Jacobs KCMG QC, who served as British Advocate General at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg from October 1988 until January 2006. This collection of essays examines the key developments in EU law over the period that Sir Francis served as Advocate General, one that saw momentous changes in the character of the Union and its legal order. It encompassed the Treaty of Maastricht, which superimposed the Union on the pre-existing European Community, as well as the Treaties of Amsterdam and Nice; the proclamation of the Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights; the drafting of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe; the creation of the Court of First Instance and the EU Civil Service Tribunal; the completion of the single market; and the enlargement of the Union to 15 Member States in 1995 and 25 Member States in 2004. The period also witnessed a profound change in the nature of much academic scholarship on the law of the Union. The book is divided into five sections dealing respectively with: general issues and institutional questions; fundamental rights; substantive law; external relations; and national perspectives. The contributors are distinguished figures drawn from a variety of constituencies, including the national and European judiciaries, legal practice, and the academic world.

Keywords: Sir Francis Jacobs, Advocate General, European Court of Justice, European Union, EU Law, Treaty of Maastricht, Fundamental Rights, Substantive Law, External Relations Law