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The Judicial System of Estonia and European Union Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2019

Julia Laffranque
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Extract

Estonia employs a civil law system and follows the legal traditions of continental Europe – there is a distinction between public and private law. The main source of law is written (statutory) law. Case law has no precedent value. However, the decisions of the Estonian Supreme Court are used as a subsidiary source of law in interpreting and founding the general principles of law. This follows expressis verbis from the Estonian Code of Criminal Procedure, which states in article 2 subsection 4 that the decisions of the Supreme Court in issues which are not regulated by other sources of criminal procedural law but which arise in the application of law are also sources of criminal procedure law. And they are de facto in other areas of law: private law, in particular administrative law, as well. Thus one could say that step-by-step the judgments of the Supreme Court gain more and more importance in shaping the legal system and legal order of Estonia.

Type
Articles
Information
International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , Summer 2005 , pp. 224 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the International Association of Law Libraries. 

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References

1 Estonian State Gazette – Riigi Teataja (RT) I 2003, 27, 166, consolidated text RT I 2004, 65, 456; amended as: RT I 2003, 83, 558; RT I 2003, 88, 590; RT I 2004, 46,329; RT I 2004, 54, 387; entered into force 1 July 2004. In English see: www.legaltext.ee Google Scholar

2 RT I 1992, 26, 349; amended as: RT I 2003, 29, 174 and RT I 2003, 64, 429.Google Scholar

3 RT I 2002, 64, 390; amended as: RT I 2003, 21, 121; RT I 2003, 90, 601; RT I 2004, 27, 176; RT I 2004, 46, 329; entered into force: 29 July 2002.Google Scholar

4 RT I 1998, 43-45, 666; amended as: RT I 1998, 108/109, 1783; RT I 1999, 16, 271; RT I 1999, 31, 425; RT I 2000, 51, 319; RT I 2000, 55, 365; RT I 2001, 21, 113; RT I 2001, 34, 186; RT I 2001, 53, 313; RT I 2001, 93, 565; RT I 2002, 29, 174; RT I 2002, 50, 313; RT I 2002, 53, 336; RT I 2002, 64, 390; RT I 2002, 92, 529; RT I 2003, 13, 64; RT I 2003, 13, 67; RT I 2003, 23, 140; RT I 2004, 30, 208; RT I 2004, 46, 329; entered into force: 1. September 1998.Google Scholar

5 RT I 1999, 31, 425; amended as: RT I 1999, 96, 846; RT I 2000, 51, 321; RT I 2001, 53, 313; RT I 2001, 58, 355; RT I 2002, 29, 174; RT I 2002, 50, 313; RT I 2002, 53, 336; RT I 2002, 62, 376; RT I 2003, 13, 67; RT I 2003, 23, 140; RT I 2004, 46, 329; entered into force: 1 January 2000.Google Scholar

6 RT I 2002, 50, 313; RT I 2002, 110, 654; RT I 2003, 26, 156; RT I 2003, 83, 557; RT I 2003, 88, 590; RT I 2004, 46, 329; RT I 2004, 54, 387; RT I 2004, 54, 390; entered into force: 1 September 2002.Google Scholar

7 RT I 2002, 29, 174; amended as: RT I 2003, 4, 22; RT I 2003, 24, 148; RT I 2004, 56, 405; entered into force: 1 July 2002.Google Scholar

8 For the statistics, see the homepage of the Ministry of Justice: http://www.just.ee Google Scholar

9 See the speech delivered by the president of the Administrative Law Chamber fulfilling the functions of the president of the Supreme Court in front of the parliament 18 June 2004 at the homepage of the Supreme Court of Estonia: http://www.nc.ee/uudised/ Google Scholar

10 See Toomas Anepaio, “The Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia,” in: The History of the Supreme Courts of Europe and the Develpoment of Human Rights, (Eds.) Solt, Pál Zanathy, János, Zinner, Tibor, Budapest (1999). 109–120.Google Scholar

11 The speech: “Die Erweiterung der EU-Kompetenzen im Rahmen der Verfassungsgebung” of prof dr Joachim Sanden at the third German-Estonian Lawyers Association (Deutsch-Estnische Juristenvereinigung e. V. = DEJV) meeting in Tartu on 25 September 2004.Google Scholar

12 For all the statistics see the homepage of the Supreme Court: http://www.nc.ee/riigikohus/ Google Scholar

13 Article 234 Treaty Establishing the European Community.Google Scholar

14 Compiled by Julia Laffranque, Euroopa Kohtu Lahendid I, Tallinn: AS Juura, 2001; Euroopa Kohtu Lahendid II Tallinn: AS Juura, 2003.Google Scholar

15 RT I 1994, 80, 1159.Google Scholar

16 See General report on the collloquium in Helsinki, 20 and 21 May 2002, subject: “The preliminary refrence to the Court of Justice of the European Communities”, drawn up by Heikki Kanninen, assisted by Irma Telivuo, in the publication of the Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union, especially Annex II: “Proportion of Community law cases injudicial proceedings” at page 47.Google Scholar

17 Judgment of the ECJ from 30 September 2003, in the case C-224/01, Köbler v. Republik Österreich, European Court Reports (ECR) 2003 page I-10239.Google Scholar

18 Official Journal of the European Union of 16 December 2004, C 310, p 1.Google Scholar

19 Judgment of the Supreme Court of Estonia en banc from 6 January 2004, in the case 3-1-3-13-03, Tiit Veeber, RT III 2004, 4, 36.Google Scholar

20 RT I, 2004, 27, 181.Google Scholar

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23 RT III 2003, 5, 48.Google Scholar

24 RT III 2003, 10, 95.Google Scholar

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26 See article Article II-111 of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe: Field of application (of the Charter):Google Scholar

1 The provisions of this Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law. They shall therefore respect the rights, observe the principles and promote the application thereof in accordance with their respective powers and respecting the limits of the powers of the Union as conferred on it in the other Parts of the Constitution.Google Scholar

2 This Charter does not extend the field of application of Union law beyond the powers of the Union or establish any new power or task for the Union, or modify powers and tasks defined in the other Parts of the Constitution.Google Scholar

27 So for example the speech: “Consequences of Violation of procedural Requirements” of justice Indrek Koolmeister at the conference of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Estonia and Center for International Legal Cooperation: “Pronciple of Good Administration in Estonia” in Tallinn on 23 April 2004.Google Scholar

28 See article II-112 subsection 5 of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe.Google Scholar

29 See article II-112 subsection 1 of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe.Google Scholar

30 See for example the Case C-328/04: Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Fövárosi Bíróság (Hungary) by order of that court of 24 June 2004 in the criminal proceedings against Attila Vajnai, Official Journal of the European Union, C 262, 23 October 2004, p. 15.Google Scholar

31 A. Calogeropoulos, The Greek Courts and the preliminary Refrence procedure according to the Article 177 of the EEC Treaty: some remarks, in: Article 177 EEC: Experiences and Problems, (Eds.) Schermers, Henry G. Timmermans, Christiaan W.A., Kellermann, Alfred E., Watson, J. Stewart, North-Holland, 1987, pp 122–127.Google Scholar

32 See Statistics concerning the judicial activity of the Court of Justice, for example in the Annual Report of the ECJ 2003, p. 230, also available in Internet: http://curia.eu.int/en/instit/presentationfr/rapport/stat/st03cr.pdf Google Scholar