Delegation of the European Court of Justice visited the Constitutional Court

23 May 2022 - During they stay in Croatia, a delegation of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), headed by Koen Lenaerts, visited the Constitutional Court. On this occasion President Šeparović emphasised the importance of a judicial dialog in order to build a better society and preserve common values. Both sides agreed that a request for a preliminary ruling is the main instrument for realising this dialog, although the Croatian Constitutional Court has not yet put it forward. However, as it was emphasised, the Constitutional Court holds that asking preliminary questions is primarily the responsibility of regular courts, and the Constitutional Court will refer it when it finds that there are disputes regarding the interpretation of constitutional law and EU law. To that end President Lenaerts pointed out that more and more constitutional courts opt to refer the requests for a preliminary ruling to the CJEU, thereby deepening its knowledge about the national constitutional traditions and allowing the EU Charter to be interpreted in accordance with these traditions, and by the same token the Member States contribute with their respective Constitutions to the EU Law.