German Challenge To Judiciary In The European Union

• 03 Jul 2020

• Recently, Germany’s constitutional court ruled that the ECJ’s (European Court of Justice) 2018 ruling was “ultra vires”, meaning beyond the latter’s legal authority.
• In 2018, the ECJ had ruled that a EUR 2 trillion bond-buying scheme of the European Central Bank (ECB), aimed at reinvigorating the EU economy after the multi-year European debt crisis, was legal as per EU law.
• The European Court of Justice (ECJ), a supranational institution, is a part Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and is the European Union’s Supreme Court in matters of EU law.
• Founded in 1952 after the Treaty of Paris, the Luxembourg-based court ensures that EU law is interpreted and applied the same in every EU country, and ensures that countries and EU institutions abide by EU law. It settles legal disputes between national governments and EU institutions.
• In terms of hierarchy, the national courts of member countries are understood to be below the ECJ in matters of EU law.