The article titled“Primacy of European Union Law,”written by Ion Gâlea, a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Bucharest, was published in A.U.B.D. – Legal Forum No. 1/2026.

The article aims not only to outline the main characteristics of the principle of the supremacy of European Union law but also to highlight the difference—or the nuances—between “primacy” and “supremacy.”

The article also highlights the terminological difficulties in the Romanian language, where the same term, “supremacy,” is officially used. The author argues that the primacy of EU law is not a matter of a hierarchy of norms, nor is it inherent in a pyramid of norms, but rather is based on the dialogue between courts through the preliminary ruling procedure, on the fact that national judges are the judges of EU law, and on the reality that EU law has direct effect in domestic law, regardless of the provisions of the latter.

Keywords: supremacy of EU law, primacy of EU law, direct effect, preliminary ruling procedure, dialogue between courts.