On May 30–31, 2024, the “Solange 50th Anniversary Conference: Constitutionalism beyond the State and the Role of Domestic Constitutional Courts” took place at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

The conference, which I co-organized together with Kriszta Kovacs and Mattias Kumm, marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark Solange I decision by the German Federal Constitutional Court from 1974 – a foundational moment in the development of European constitutional pluralism. With over 100 participants from Germany, Europe, and the United States, as well as many stimulating presentations and thought-provoking discussions, the conference was a great success. My sincere thanks go to all participants, and to the DFG and Nomos Verlag for their generous financial support.

I gave a talk entitled “Solange I in the mirror of time: Building European constitutionalism from the bottom-up.” The presentation explored whether Solange I marked the beginning of a constructive constitutional path toward integration – by prompting stronger protection of fundamental rights in Community law and contributing to a “bottom-up” model of European constitutionalism – or whether it was a backward-looking decision that subjected EU law to the standards of a single national constitutional order.

Drawing on a historical reconstruction of the case, I argued that the German Constitutional Court was not primarily driven by institutional self-interest, but by a deeply rooted constitutional commitment. In doing so, it offered a vision of European integration embedded in a denser structure of constitutional legitimacy.

On the Conference: https://www.wzb.eu/de/events/solange-50th-anniversary-conference