Together with Mattias Kumm and Kriszta Kovács, I organize an international conference in Berlin on the occasion of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Solange I decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court of May 29, 1974.

We are convinced that Solange I is for constitutionalism beyond the state what the US Supreme Court’s Marbury v. Madison decision was for domestic constitutionalism. The decision stands for two key ideas that were to play a central role in the constitutional debates of the following half century: First, supranational institutions must observe fundamental constitutional principles if their legal acts are to apply in the domestic sphere. Second, national constitutional courts – and not only the legislature and the executive – play an important role in monitoring compliance with these constitutional principles.

The aim of the conference is not to celebrate Solange I, but to critically reflect on the landmark decision; to reassess its historical context, legacy and contemporary relevance with the benefit of hindsight over fifty years of jurisprudential debate; to trace the transformative legal and political development that followed; to examine the various, sometimes competing, narratives that link to the decision; to analyze Solange as an integral part of European constitutional development and to understand it as a prism for European constitutional history. In our view, recent political and legal developments, the rise of parochial illiberalism, the disintegration of the European Union and the growing resistance to international institutions give the decision a new topicality.

The international conference on these and related issues will take place at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB) für Sozialforschung) on May 30/31, 2024 with other renowned speakers (including Doris König, Karen Alter, Eyal Benvenisti, Franz Mayer, Julian Kokott, Andreas Paulus and Daniel Halberstam).

Registration link for the conference: https://www.wzb.eu/de/events/solange-50th-anniversary-conference

If you are interested in participating, please do not hesitate to go to the link and send a registration e-mail.

I am looking forward to the conference!