The Preliminary Reference Procedure Before The CJEU: Cyprus Jurisprudence

The mechanism of the preliminary reference stands as one of the cornerstones of European Union law. It establishes a channel of judicial cooperation between the national courts of Member States and the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU"), ensuring the uniform interpretation and application of EU law across all Member States. Understanding this mechanism, and in particular the conditions under which a Cypriot court may invoke it, is of considerable practical importance for any party appearing in proceedings that raise a question of EU law.

The jurisdiction of the CJEU to provide preliminary rulings is conferred by Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ("TFEU"), which provides that the Court shall have jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings concerning the interpretation of the Treaties and the validity and interpretation of acts of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union. In Cyprus, this framework was transposed into