subsidiarity

Subsidiarity is a governance principle that holds that decisions should be taken as closely as possible to those affected by them. In practice, it aims to prevent unnecessary centralization of power by reserving action to lower levels of authority when they can address an issue adequately, while reserving action at a higher level when greater effectiveness or coherence is achieved only at that level.

Originating in Catholic social teaching in the 19th and early 20th centuries, subsidiarity was adopted into European political integration and later codified in the European Union’s constitutional framework. It is enshrined in the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, where it sets the rule that the EU may act only if objectives cannot be sufficiently achieved by individual member states and can be better achieved at union level. The principle is paired with proportionality, which governs the means used to achieve objectives, ensuring EU action is neither excessive nor inappropriate for its aims.

Implementation in the EU includes mechanisms for scrutiny by national parliaments. Draft EU legislation can be reviewed for compliance with subsidiarity, and if a sufficient number of national parliaments raise concerns, the proposal must be reconsidered or amended. The aim is to keep most decision-making at the level closest to citizens while allowing coordinated action when cross-border or larger-scale problems require it.

Subsidiarity remains a core test of EU legitimacy, balancing local autonomy with the benefits of collective action, and is often discussed alongside federalism, decentralization, and the scope of EU competences.