Introduction: critical legal approaches in EU law—reflections on new research directions

What, and who, is EU law for?Over the past few years a renewed interest in methodological approaches in EU law and in what those may entail for EU scholars and teachers has emerged. 1 Such conversations, and questions, can only be welcomed.Within a field which for a long time has understood itself as formalistic and self-contained, such methodological self-reflection may pave the way for theories which are empirically and normatively better adjusted to analysing and describing for what and who EU law is for.And yet, critical legal approaches are still relatively marginal and continue to be marginalised. 2At best they are seen as 'exotic', 'refreshing', but never as essential and needed by EU scholars, teachers, judges or lawyers.At worst they are rejected as merely 'politics', not scientific and 'not really law'.A variety of critical legal traditions exist, with overlapping trajectories, distinct normative projects and visions of the law, and they vary across legal contexts. 3 Here, by critical legal approaches, I mean those that describe