Extension of the preliminary rulings procedure outside the scope of Community law: ‘The Dzodzi line of cases’

'The Dzodzi line of cases' evidence that the functioning of the preliminary rulings procedure under Article 234 EC is not restricted to the scope of Community law, but extends also to the cases governed by national law referring to certain Community provision or concept. Most controversially in the context of this far-reaching pronouncement, the Court dismissed the views expressed by its Advocates General, actually, in all the cases of this type (recently in Roman Angonese, 6 June 2000). Ten years after the judgment in Dzodzi has been delivered, the future development of the tendency seems to be still open to radically different solutions. A compromise solution may be found in the acceptance of jurisdiction in 'comparable' situations, ascertained on the basis of relationship between the interpretation and the facts of a particular case. This solution should be based on the assessment of the 'ability to provide helpful interpretation' and the possibility to define a legal problem precisely, as a prerequisite for the full exchange of arguments. Then, it could provide a consistent attitude of the Court towards all the cases on the admissibility of references under Article 234 EC. The uncertainty inevitably following such a solution could be outweighed by the need to retain a flexible and cooperative attitude.

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