Professor Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, will visit the University of Gdańsk and give a lecture entitled Upholding European Values: Democracy, Solidarity, and the Rule of Law. The meeting, organised as part of the celebrations of the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk, will take place on May 27, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Main Library of the University of Gdańsk.

Prof. Koen Lenaerts' lecture will analyse the interrelationship between the three fundamental values of the European Union: democracy, solidarity, and the rule of law, and demonstrate that these three inextricably linked values not only define the identity of the European Union, but also the essence of its citizenship.

The abstract of the lecture reads:

Values sit at the pinnacle of the EU legal order, cascading like a waterfall through every norm adopted by the EU. Both EU and national courts must uphold those values and the legal principles and norms that implement them. European values are interdependent, meaning that respect for one value presupposes respect for the others. .

Prof. Koen Lenaerts graduated in law from the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium, and then continued his education at Harvard University in the USA, where he obtained a master's degree in law (1978) and public administration (1979). After returning to his alma mater, he obtained a doctorate in law and in 1983 became a professor of European law. Since 2015, he has been President of the Court of Justice of the European Union (full biography is available in the appendix).

‘I thought that the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk, the Polish Presidency of the European Union and the recently celebrated 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU would be an excellent opportunity to talk about law, courts, and common European values in Gdańsk, where the founding motto of a united Europe, ‘NEVER AGAIN’, resonates in a special way and obliges us all to remember and never forget. I immediately felt and knew that the President of the CJEU, Professor Koen Lenaerts, would be the ideal interlocutor,’ said prof. Tomasz Tadeusz Koncewicz, Head of the Department of European Law and Comparative Law at the University of Gdańsk, who is the initiator and co-organiser of the meeting. ‘I have known President Lenaerts since 2004, when I was a legal secretary at the Court of Justice. Before that, I studied European law from his books, publications and lectures. I still remember the emotion I felt on 1 May 2004 when the flags of 10 new Member States, including Poland, were hoisted in front of the Court of Justice in Kirchberg, Luxembourg. We spoke with Professor Lenaerts then, and many times afterwards, about the symbolism and significance of that moment, which was the culmination of the dreams and aspirations of my grandparents‘ and parents’ generations, and my own. In December 2024, I recalled those conversations and the moments we spent together. I thought it would be worthwhile to invite President Lenaerts to talk and reflect on Europe, its law and the common values that make us Europeans, here at the University of Gdańsk. It is thanks to the ‘community of law and values’ rooted in democracy, the rule of law and solidarity that we Europeans can today proudly say of each other that we are ‘still different, but no longer strangers, only neighbours’. Our common European journey, not always smooth, full of twists and turns and question marks, is still ongoing, and I find it difficult to imagine a better guide on this journey than the President of the CJEU, Professor Koen Lenaerts.’

About the CJEU

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), based in Luxembourg, is widely recognised as one of the most influential and effective international courts in the world. Since Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, it has been an integral part of the Polish legal order. By joining the Union, Poland accepted its absolute jurisdiction and recognised this court as the final authority that bindingly determines the scope of our European obligations.

The success and accessibility of integration law over the years are largely the result of the case law of the CJEU, which laid the foundations for the fundamental principles of European law in the form of primacy, direct effect, respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law.

The central role of the CJEU in the history of European integration stems from the fundamental principle underlying the establishment of the European Communities in 1952, namely that the courts should be entrusted as independent and impartial arbiters to resolve conflicts which the Member States would not be able to resolve among themselves. It was the law and the authority of the institutions that were to replace war, which for centuries had been a tragic feature of our continent's history.

In accordance with its treaty function, which has remained unchanged since 1952, the CJEU's primary task and mission is to ensure that ‘the law is observed when the Treaties are interpreted and applied’. It performs this function by reviewing the legality of acts of the European Union institutions and by ensuring that Member States comply with their obligations under the Treaties. However, the real crown of the CJEU's jurisdiction is its competence to give preliminary rulings in response to questions referred by the courts of the Member States in cases pending before them in order to ensure the uniform application and interpretation of integration law in all EU countries. Each year, the CJEU issues several hundred preliminary rulings, which is unprecedented in itself. The judicial dialogue between the CJEU and national courts is a unique feature of European law and the element that makes it a ‘living law’ and has a tangible impact on the subjective rights of European Union citizens.

The lecture is open to the public. It will be held in English.

On the occasion of Prof. Koen Lenaerts' lecture at the University of Gdańsk, Monitor Konstytucyjny published two articles by dr. hab. Tomasz Tadeusz Koncewicz, prof. UG, Head of the Department of European Law and Comparative Law. The published texts explain the role of the court of integration, place it in the history of the European consensus built on the post-war ruins, and interpret its function through the prism of the fundamental principles and values that underlay the decision of European countries to integrate and which also define the essence and identity of the European community and its law today:

Why a court in ‘integration law’? On promises, lessons and warnings, also at: https://monitorkonstytucyjny.eu/archiwa/31331

‘Never again’ as a warning, aspiration and dream. From Poland and Gdańsk to Europe and beyond, at: https://monitorkonstytucyjny.eu/archiwa/31408

You can also read about the CJEU, its composition, function and jurisdiction at: Presentation - Court of Justice of the European Union - CURIA.