Application of the EU law in Latvian courts

Abstract

This article outlines the main changes that the system of Latvian courts faced after Latvia's accession to the EU. In the legislative field Latvia has added in its procedural laws general provisions that incorporate EU law into Latvia's legal system, as well as the possibility of national courts to apply preliminary rulings procedure. During Latvia's EU membership, Latvian courts have adapted to their role in the application of the EU law, especially in the area of administrative law. Latvian courts have referred to the Court of Justice of the EU for preliminary rulings in over 100 cases, mostly from administrative courts. This corresponds with general tendencies in other new EU Member States. However, the fact that there are very few requests for preliminary rulings from courts that are not the courts of the last instance in Latvia, suggests that Latvian courts of first instances are somewhat unwilling to make use of the preliminary rulings procedure and do not see the benefits in its use.