Relationship between the European Court of Justice and the National Constitutional Courts. The control of legislative competences of the European Union

Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,7, University of Hamburg (Master of Arts European Studies), course: Introduction to the System of the EU, language: English, abstract: A clarification of the conditions between the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Constitutional Courts of the Member States is of particular importance to ensure the effectiveness of the Community law. The ECJ as the body of jurisdiction has to show due regard for the protection of Community law. Hence it is jointly responsible for the existence of the European Community (EC) as a community based on law as well as for the progress of European integration. In this regard, it is essential if the relation between the ECJ and the national courts is clearly definable or if the latter claim intersecting auditing authorities for its own. As a consequence of an ambiguous allocation of rights and duties, the Community law could be deprived of its effectiveness by conflicting judgments of the national courts, which have been implemented within the Member States. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the ECJ and the National Constitutional Courts with regard to possible cleavages. The question behind the following is, if the national courts can be referred to as the ‘underdogs’ of the European integration. Therefore, the GFCC is cited as an example.