Today everyone's focus is on the CJEU hearing taking place
in the Wightman case. However, yesterday CJEU
published its judgment in another Brexit challenge - Shindler and Ors v Council of the European
Union.
Under Article 50 TFEU, read together with Article 218(3), once
the UK gave notification of its intention to leave the EU, the
Council had to authorise the Commission to commence negotiations on
the withdrawal agreement.
Mr Shindler sought to challenge that authorisation by the
Council.
His case was made up of several strands, including the
suggestion that the Council's decision served to endorse or
ratify the UK's notification of intention to withdraw. Mr
Shindler argued that the notification was flawed as it was not
founded upon the votes of UK citizens who had lived outside
the UK for more than 15 years and who were therefore ineligible to
vote in the referendum in 2016, or to elect the MPs who passed the
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act