EU Case Law

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EU Case Law

• Margaret Watson
• Academic Services Librarian
• Bodleian Law Library

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Session outline

• The courts
• Jurisdiction
• Procedure
• Documentation
• Publication
• Citation
• Tracing case law
• Finding commentary

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Courts

• European Court of Justice (ECJ)
• Court of First Instance (CFI)
• Civil Service Tribunal

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European Court of Justice

• Jurisdiction
• to safeguard the interpretation and application
  of the Treaties
• Forms of action
• 1. direct actions
• 2. references for preliminary rulings
• 3. appeals against CFI decisions

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Court of First Instance

• Created in 1989
• Jurisdiction
• to hear and determine direct actions brought by
  individuals and the Member States, with the
  exception of those to be assigned to a judicial
  panel and those reserved for the Court of
  Justice
• all cases heard at first instance by the Court
  of First Instance may be subject to a right of
  appeal to the Court of Justice on points of law
  only.

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Court procedure

• Direct actions and Appeals
• References from national courts

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ECJ procedure direct actions

• Written procedure
• -Written application- Service of the
  application on defendant
• - Publication of the application in the OJ-
  Defence- Reply- Rejoinder

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ECJ procedure direct actions

• Oral procedure
• - Hearing- Opinion of the Advocate General-
  Deliberation of the Court- Judgment

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ECJ procedure reference for preliminary ruling

• Written procedure
• - Order or judgment of the national court
• - Translation of the request and notification to
  the parties, the Member States and the
  Community institutions
• - Publication in the OJ
• - Written observations of the parties, the Member
  States and the Community institutions

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ECJ procedure reference for preliminary ruling

• Oral procedure
• - Hearing- Opinion of the Advocate General-
  Deliberation of the Court- Judgment
• i.e. the same as in direct actions

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• ECJ procedure
• http//curia.europa.eu/en/instit/txtdocfr/index.ht
  m
• CFI procedure
• http//curia.europa.eu/en/instit/txtdocfr/index_tp
  i.htm

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Documentation

• National court case report (referrals)
• Notice in Official Journal C series
• Report for the Hearing ( before 1994 only)
• Advocate Generals Opinion (ECJ cases)
• Judgment or Order

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Case Documentation

• ECJ until 1993
• Report for the Hearing AG Opinion Judgment
• ECJ 1993-
• AG Opinion and Judgment only
• CFI
• Judgment (no AG Opinion)

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Publication of Case Law

• OJ C series
• Transcripts
• European Court Reports
• Common Market Law Reports
• All England Law Reports European Cases

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Online publication

• Curia website
• http//curia.europa.eu/index.htm
• EUR-LEX
• http//eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm
• Lexis
• Westlaw
• Justis

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Citation of cases

• C (ECJ) or T (CFI) or F (Civil Service Tribunal)
• -
• Number of case
• /
• Year (last 2 digits)
• The parties
• e.g. Case C-2/00 Hölterhoff v Freiesleben

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Publication citation

• European Court Reports
• 1985 ECR 3539
• 1994 ECR I-667
• 1991 ECR II-1087

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Publication citation

• Common Market Law Reports
• 1986 1 C.M.L.R. 506
• 1994 4 C.M.L.R. 614

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Citation examples

• Petrofina SA v Commission of the European
  Communities
• Case T-2/89
• 1991 ECR II-1087
• Stanley George Adams v Commission of the European
  Communities
• Case 145/83
• 1985 ECR 3539
• 1986 1 C.M.L.R. 506

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Tracing the Case Law (1)

• ECJ publication
• Index A-Z numerical and alphabetical index
  of cases before the Court of Justice of the
  European Communities since 1953
• http//curia.europa.eu/en/content/juris/index.htm
• Butterworths publication
• Butterworths EC Case Citator

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Tracing the Case Law(2)

• Year of publication or date of judgment known
• ECR (e.g. Cassis de Dijon 120/78 1979 ECR
  649)
• Case reference or name known
• Butterworths EC Case Citator OJ Annual Index
• Subject known
• Butterworths EC Case Citator CMLR indexes
  All ER (EC) indexes

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Tracing the Case Law(3)

• Curia website
• EUR-Lex
• Lexis
• Westlaw
• Justis

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Curia website
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EUR-Lex
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Where to look for commentary(1)

• Références des notes de doctrine aux arrêts de
  la Cour de justice et du Tribunal de première
  instance des Communautés européennes
• Annotation of judgments
• http//curia.europa.eu/en/content/juris/index_re
  p.htm

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Where to look for commentary (2)

• Journals providing case commentary include
• Common Market Law Review (OU e-journals)
• Euro Comm 300 C10
• European Intellectual Property Review (Westlaw)
• General 300 E10
• European Law Review (Westlaw)
• Euro Comm 300 E110

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Please ask for help!

• Margaret Watson
• Margaret.watson_at_ouls.ox.ac.uk
• (2)71463