On Friday 31 January 2020, a COMECE delegation met with several judges of the Court of Justice of the EU to discuss the increasing impact of the Court’s jurisprudence in the Member States’ legal systems. Mgr. Hoogenboom: “this fruitful dialogue enriched the COMECE Legal Affairs Commission and brought to the attention of the judges legal specificities and some key points of the Catholic Church in the EU”.
COMECE Legal Affairs Commission meets with the Court. (Credit: COMECE)
The visit was organised to further enrich COMECE’s reflection on the crucial role the Court plays in interpreting EU law and in fostering the progress of European integration. The dialogue meeting was also a way to value the importance of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, which has already reached its 10th year of life.
Exchanges with the judges focused on crucial fields addressed by the Court’s jurisprudence, including non-discrimination, cross-border family law and EU-State aid rules. The COMECE delegation also highlighted the relevant protection provided by Article 17.1 TFEU to State-Church relations. The functioning and mechanisms of the EU Court were also a topic of discussion.
Led by H. Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ and H.E. Mgr. Theodorus C.M. Hoogenboom, respectively Presidents of COMECE and of its Legal Affairs Commission, the delegation saw the participation of a large representation of the COMECE Legal Affairs Commission, which is composed by legal experts mandated by the EU Episcopates.
The COMECE Legal Affairs Commission will gather for its next meeting on Thursday 5 March 2020.