Acta Universitatis Danubius. Juridica, Vol 7, No 1 (2011)

Abstract

The present paper is dedicated to analysis of the problems related to the acts of the judicial authority of the European Union (hereinafter "EU"). Its importance lies in the fact that this EU institution is established at the beginning of the European integration process and has rich history and case-law of more than 60 years, which are to a great extent unfamiliar to the broad public and even to members of the judiciary or to researchers in Bulgaria and Romania – the states that have most recently joined together the EU in 2007. This study aims to contribute to earlier studies dedicated to the work and acts of the various EU institutions, bodies, offices or agencies. The author has made former attempts to explain some specific aspects of the regulation and the functioning of the institutional framework of the Union. In order to achieve better results the analysis is based on survey, observation, comparison and translation of various sources such as EU and international legal acts and case-law and systematisation of the available doctrine in this area. This is an attempt to explain the legal regulation, characteristics and effects of the preliminary opinions of the Court of Justice and to distinguish these acts from other more well-known acts of the Court of Justice. The study may be of special interest to academics and members of the judiciary because it presents in detailed and concise manner the basic features of these unfamiliar but undoubtedly important acts. Its main contribution lies in the fact that it constitutes a first attempt in Bulgaria for a thorough study of those specific acts.