Judicial Independence Under Article 19(1) TEU and Article 267 TFEU: Untangling the Gordian Knot

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Neovisnost pravosuđa prema članku 19. stavku 1. UEU-a i članku 267. UFEU-a: Raspetljavanje gordijskog čvora
• Author: Ana Altabas
• Mentor: Nika Bačić Selanec (mentor)
• Committee member: Nika Bačić Selanec (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Iris Goldner Lang (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Davor Petrić (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Law; (European Public Law); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2024-07-12, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: SOCIAL SCIENCES; Law

Abstract

This master’s thesis explores the conflicting relationship between Article 19(1) TEU and Article 267 TFEU in the Court of Justice’s case-law, particularly in the context of the ongoing rule of law crisis in Poland and Hungary. Judges of courts captive by executive and legislative frequently submit references questioning the independence of their colleagues, and the question arises whether this practice is allowed. The simultaneous application of Article 19(1) TEU and Article 267 TFEU in assessing the admissibility of requests for preliminary ruling can lead to a paradox: courts that are not independent may not submit references questioning the independence of their judges precisely because they lack independence. This was the result of the Banco de Santander judgement, which was partially corrected by subsequent cases. However, the following case-law has opened a possibility of excluding large parts of a Member State’s judiciary from the preliminary reference procedure. This master thesis first analyses two strands of case-law: case-law under Article 19(1) TEU and case-law under Article 267 TFEU. In that light, it turns to the assessment of three cases in which the Court has decided on this particular issue: Banco de Santander, Getin Noble Bank, and L.G. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of the preliminary ruling procedure in order to maintain dialogue with the Polish judiciary.

Abstract (croatian)

Ovaj diplomski rad analizira odnos između članka 19. stavka 1. UEU-a i članka 267. UFEU-a u sudskoj praksi Suda Europske unije u kontekstu trenutne krize vladavine prava u Poljskoj i Mađarskoj. Suci sudova koji su okupirani od strane izvršne i zakonodavne vlasti često postavljaju prethodna pitanja u vezi nezavisnosti ostalih sudaca što otvara pitanje je li ovakva praksa dopuštena. Simultana primjena članka 19. stavka 1. UEU-a i članka 267. UFEU-a prilikom ocjene dopuštenosti zahtjeva za prethodno pitanje može dovesti do paradoksalnog zaključka: sudovi koji nisu nezavisni ne mogu preispitivati nezavisnost sudaca tih sudova u prethodnom postupku upravo zbog toga što nisu nezavisni. To je bio rezultat presude Banco de Santander, koja je djelomično ispravljena kasnijim slučajevima. Međutim, kasnija sudska praksa otvorila je mogućnost isključivanja većeg dijela sudstva država članica iz sudjelovanja u prethodnom postupku. Ovaj diplomski rad najprije analizira dva pravca sudske prakse: sudsku praksu prema članku 19. stavku 1. UEU-a i sudsku praksu prema članku 267. UFEU-a. U tom kontekstu raspravlja o tri predmeta u kojima je Sud odlučio o ovom konkretnom pitanju: Banco de Santander, Getin Noble Bank i L.G. Rad zaključuje naglašavanjem važnosti prethodnog postupka u održavanju dijaloga s poljskim pravosuđem.

• Keywords: judicial independence; Court of Justice; Article 19(1) TEU; Article 267 TFEU; Banco de Santander; Getin Noble Bank; L.G.
• Keywords (croatian): nezavisnost sudstva; Sud Europske unije; članak 19. stavak 1. UEU-a; članak 267. UFEU; Banco de Santander; Getin Noble Bank; L.G.
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:199:997307
• Study programme: Title: Law; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: sveučilišni magistar/magistrica prava (sveučilišni magistar/magistrica prava)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-07-16 09:55:59