Article 2 TEU as a Tool for Democratic Transitions: Towards a Criminal Responsibility of Judges who Disrespect the EU Values
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61823/dpia.2023.3.498Keywords:
values, rule of law, judicial independence, Court of Justice, Polish Constitutional TribunalAbstract
With the elections of November 2023 Poland might get a new government. After its victory, this new government would face a crucial dilemma. How should it deal with the messed-up judicial system? Should it take the sledgehammer and simply dismiss all judges appointed in violation of EU law? We suggest a more constrained approach. To restore an independent judiciary and – in a broader perspective – the rule of law, it would suffice to remove the central perpetrators from the judiciary. To achieve this aim, we plead for the criminal responsibility of judges who seriously and intentionally disrespect EU values. Establishing their criminal responsibility would go hand in hand with their removal from office. This proposal, however, relies on one central premise: the judicial applicability of Article 2 TEU values. Ten years ago, this judicial applicability might have seemed legal science fiction. Under the pressure of illiberal developments in several Member States, however, the Court has started to operationalise the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU. Today, it is clear that this provision contains legal obligations. We argue that national judges who seriously and intentionally disregard these obligations must be hold criminally accountable.
References
Bobek M., The effects of EU law in the national legal systems, [in:] European Union Law, eds. C. Barnard, S. Peers, 3rd edn., Oxford 2020.
Bobek M., Institutional Report: National Courts and the Enforcement of EU Law, [in:] National Courts and the Enforcement of EU Law. The XXIXth FIDE Congress Publications, eds. M. Botman, J. Rijpma, vol. 1, Hague 2020.
Bodnar A., Bojarski L., Judicial Independence in Poland, [in:] Judicial Independence in Transition, ed. A. Seibert-Fohr, Heidelberg 2012.
von Bogdandy A., Grabenwarter C., Huber P.M., Constitutional Adjudication in the European Legal Space, [in:] The Max Planck Handbooks in European Public Law, eds. iidem, vol. IV, Oxford 2022.
von Bogdandy A., Kottmann M., Antpöhler C., Dickschen J., Hentrei S., Smrkolj M., Reverse Solange – Protecting the Essence of Fundamental Rights Against EU Member States, “Common Market Law Review” 2012, vol. 49.
Broberg M., Fenger N., Preliminary References to the European Court of Justice, 3rd edn., Oxford 2021.
Bustos Gisbert R., Judicial Independence in European Constitutional Law, “European Constitutional Law Review” 2022, vol. 18.
Canivet G., Joly-Hurard J., La responsabilité des juges, ici et ailleurs, “Revue international de droit compare” 20026, vol. 58.
Cappelletti M., Who Watches the Watchmen? A Comparative Study on Judicial Responsibility, “American Journal of Comparative Law” 1983, vol. 31.
Closa C., Kochenov D., Reinforcing the Rule of Law Oversight in the European Union: Key Options, [in:] Strengthening the Rule of Law in Europe, ed. W. Schroeder, Oxford 2016.
von Danwitz T., Values and the rule of law: Foundations of the European Union – an inside perspective from the ECJ, “Revue du droit de l’Union européenne” 2018, no. 4.
Hilf M., Schorkopf F., Art. 2 EUV, [in:] Das Recht der Europäischen Union, eds. E. Grabitz et al., 74th ed., loose-leaf, Munich 2021.
Hillion C., Overseeing the Rule of Law in the EU: Legal Mandate and Means, [in:] Reinforcing Rule of Law Oversight in the European Union, eds. C. Closa, D. Kochenov, Cambridge 2016.
Klamert M., Kochenov D., Article 2 TEU, [in:] (eds.), The EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights: A Commentary, eds. M. Kellerbauer et al., Oxford 2019.
Kochenov D., Pech L., Respect for the Rule of Law in the Case Law of the European Court of Justice, Stockholm 2021.
Lenaerts K., Upholding the Rule of Law through Judicial Dialogue, “Yearbook of European Law” 2019, vol. 38.
Lenaerts K., Gutierrez-Fons J.A., Les méthodes d’interprétation de la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne, Brussels 2020.
Lenaerts K., Epilogue on EU Citizenship: Hopes and Fears?, [in:] EU Citizenship and Federalism, ed. D. Kochenov, Cambridge 2017.
Lenaerts K., The European Court of Justice and fundamental rights in the field of criminal law, [in:] Research Handbook on EU Criminal Law, eds. V. Mitsilegas, M. Bergström, T. Konstadinides, Cheltenham 2016.
Lenaerts K., Maselis I., Gutman K., EU Procedural Law, Oxford 2014.
Martenczuk B., Art. 7 EUV und der Rechtsstaatsrahmen als Instrument der Wahrung der Grundwerte der Union, [in:] Verfassungskrisen in der Europäischen Union, ed. S. Kadelbach, Baden-Baden 2018.
Martens S.A.E., Methodenlehre des Unionsrechts, Tübingen 2013.
Martín y Pérez de Nanclares J., La Unión Europea como comunidad de valores, “Teoría y Realidad Constitucional” 2019, vol. 43.
Müller, I., Die Verwendung des Rechtsbeugungstatbestands zu politischen Zwecken, “Kritische Justiz” 1984, vol. 17.
Pech L., Platon S., Judicial Independence under threat: The Court of Justice to the rescue in the ASJP case, “Common Market Law Review” 2018, vol. 55.
Półtorak N., Kilka uwag o skutkach wyroku Trybunału Konstytucyjnego w sprawie K 3/21 dla stosowania prawa unijnego przez polskie sądy, “Europejski Przegląd Sądowy” 2021, no. 12.
Potacs M., Wertkonforme Auslegung des Unionsrechts?, “Europarecht” 2016, vol. 51.Problem praworządności w Polsce w świetle orzecznictwa Trybunału Sprawiedliwości UE (2018-2020), eds. J. Barcz, A. Grzelak, R. Szyndlauer, Warsaw 2021.
Rönnau T., Rechtsbeugung durch (beharrliche) Verweigerung der Pflichtvorlage an den EuGH?, [in:] Festschrift für Rudolf Rengier zum 70. Geburtstag, eds. B. Hecker et al., Munich 2018.
Rossi L.S., La valeur juridique des valeurs, “Revue trimestrielle de droit européen” 2020, vol. 56.–, 2, 4, 6 (TUE) … l’interpretazione dell’ “Identity Clause” alla luce dei valori fondamentali dell’Unione, [in:] Liber Amicorum Antonio Tizzano, Turin 2018.
Sadurski W., Poland’s Constitutional Breakdown, Oxford 2019.–, Polish Constitutional Tribunal Under PiS: From an Activist Court, to a Paralysed Tribunal, to a Governmental Enabler, “Hague Journal on the Rule of Law” 2019, vol. 11.
Safjan M., On Symmetry in Search of an Appropriate Response to the Crisis, [in:] Περιμένοντας τους Bαρβάρους. Law in a time of Constitutional Crisis. Studies Offered to Mirosław Wyrzykowski, eds. J. Urbanik, A. Bodnar, Warsaw 2021.
Sarmiento D., Who’s Afraid of the Charter? The Court of Justice, National Courts and the New Framework of Fundamental Rights Protection in Europe, “Common Market Law Review” 2013, vol. 50.
Scheppele K.L., Kochenov D., Grabowska-Moroz B., EU Values are Law, after All, “Yearbook of European Law” 2020, vol. 38.
Schima B., Das Vorabentscheidungsverfahren vor dem EuGH, 3rd edn., Vienna 2015.
Schmidt M., Bogdanowicz P., The Infringement Procedure in the Rule of Law Crisis: How to Make Effective Use of Art. 258 TFEU, “Common Market Law Review” 2018, vol. 55.
Schulze-Fielitz H., Art. 103 Abs. 2 GG, [in:] Grundgesetz Kommentar, ed. H. Dreier 3rd edn., Tübingen 2018.
Skouris V., Demokratie und Rechtsstaat. Europäische Union in der Krise?, Munich 2018.
Spieker L.D., Breathing Life into the Union’s Common Values: On the Judicial Application of Article 2 TEU in the EU Value Crisis, “German Law Journal” 2019, vol. 20.
Timmerman M., Legality in Europe: On the Principle Nullum Crimen, Nulla Poena Sine Lege in EU Law and Under the ECHR, Antwerp 2018.
Trabucchi A., L’Effet “erga omnes” des décisions préjudicielles rendues par la Cour de justice des Communautés européennes, “Revue trimestrielle de droit européen” 1979, vol. 10.
Voßkuhle A., The Idea of the European Community of Values, Cologne 2018.
Waelbroeck M., Oliver P., La Crise de l’État de Droit dans l’Union Européenne: Que Faire?, “Cahiers de droit européen” 2018, vol. 26.
Wohlfahrt C., Die Vermutung unmittelbarer Wirkung des Unionsrechts. Ein Plädoyer für die Aufgabe der Kriterien hinreichender Genauigkeit und Unbedingtheit, Berlin 2016.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Armin von Bogdandy, Luke Spieker
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
