CYIL vol. 10 (2019)

CYIL 10 ȍ2019Ȏ DISTANCE BETWEEN EU LAW … To sum up, the Charter ensures the unified application and unique interpretation of Union fundamental rights law but does not totally unify the level of human rights’ protection within the Member States. 64 The correct understanding of the notion of ‘implementation of EU law’ and the systemic use of this formula, in a harmonised way, are the prerequisites for any further development and potential impact of the Charter on national (not only) constitutional human rights enforcement. On the other hand, because Member States (from a procedural point of view) are free to apply their internal procedures and instruments for human rights review, we must naturally account for the appearance of diversity and differences in the approaches taken by particular national authorities. 65 Differences have already appeared in the very understanding of Article 51(1) and the extent of applicability of the Charter. 66 In the Hungarian context, this ‘terminological issue’ can also be demonstrated by some of the earlier preliminary reference procedures (PRPs) initiated by Hungarian ordinary courts, testing the limits and viability of the ‘Implementation Dilemma’. The first group of rejected requests was linked to an amendment to the law 67 that allowed for the dismissal of government civil and public servants without justification. Several courts (e.g., the Labour Court in Debrecen, 68 the Labour Court in Budapest, 69 the Curia of Hungary 70 ) have initiated PRPs in 2012-2013 asking the CJEU whether Hungarian laws breached fundamental rights arising from the EU law. 71 In almost all these cases, the CJEU used an understandable ‘blanket’ argument regarding its jurisdiction, namely the absence of such elements in the proceedings subject to the The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Federal Question. Common Market Law Review , 2002, vol. 39, pp. 945-994; KNOOK, A. The Court, the Charter, and the vertical division of powers in the European Union. Common Market Law Review , 2005, vol. 41, pp. 367-398; HAMUĽÁK, O. National Sovereignty in the European Union – View from the Czech Perspective , Springer, 2016; SPAVENTA, E., Federalisation versus Centralisation: tensions in fundamental rights discourse in the EU. In Currie, S.; Dougan, M. 50 Years of the European Treaties: Looking Back and Thinking Forward , Hart publishing, 2009, p. 343. 64 VARGA (2017), op. cit., p. 247. 65 See in particular BURGORGUE-LARSEN, L. (ed.) The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights seized by the national judges , Paris: Pedone, 2017. For some national reports see MAZÁK, Ján; JÁNOŠIKOVÁ, Martina et al. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in Proceedings Before Courts of the Slovak Republic . Košice: Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, 2016; HAMUĽÁK, Ondrej. Listina základních práv Evropské unie jako okolí ústavního pořádku České republiky. Acta Iuridica Olomucensia , 2015, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 7-30 or SVOBODOVA, Magdaléna. Působnost Listiny základních práv EU v kontextu judikatury Ústavního soudu ČR. Acta Universitatis Carolinae –Iuridica , 2018, vol. 64, no. 4, pp. 53-63. 66 See e.g. Applying the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in law and policymaking at national level. Guidance . European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2018. Available at https://fra.europa.eu/sites/ default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2018-charter-guidance_en.pdf. 67 Article 8, para. (1), point b) of the Act LVIII of 2010 on the legal status of government public servants ( A kormánytisztviselők jogállásáról ) – in effect between 6 July 2010 and 31 May 2011 and Article 17 para. (1) of the Act XXIII of 1992 on the legal status of public servants ( A köztisztviselők jogállásáról ) – in effect between 1 January and 8 April 2011. 68 C488/12 Nagy and Others (joined cases), ECLI:EU:C:2013:703; C-614/12 Dutka and Sajtos (joined cases), ECLI:EU:C:2014:30. 69 C-10/13 Sajtos (C-614/12 Dutka and Sajtos (joined cases), ECLI:EU:C:2014:30). 70 C-332/13 Weigl , ECLI:EU:C:2014:31. 71 For further analysis see also BERKES, A. Report on Hungary. In BURGORGUE-LARSEN, L. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights seized by the national judges , Paris: Pedone, 2017, pp. 434-441. MEASURING THE ‘EU’CLIDEAN

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