Dublin workshop to consider impact of language on work of CJEU Advocates General

Dr Karen McAuliffe

Dr Karen McAuliffe of the University of Birmingham, who is principal investigator on the European Research Council-funded project “Law and Language at the European Court of Justice”, is convening the event next month.

She will be joined by Professors Noreen Burrows and Rosa Greaves of the University of Glasgow, Professor Takis Tridimas of Kings College London, Professor Fernanda Nicola of The American University Washington College of Law, Dr Virginia Mattioli of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, and Dr Liana Muntean and Ewelina Tylec, both from the University of Birmingham.

This workshop seeks to address a gap in the literature by bringing together scholars from the fields of language/linguistics and law, as well as practitioners, to consider to what extent language may affect the work of AGs at the Court of Justice.

Dr McAuliffe said: “This workshop will be of interest to academics and lawyers who wish to consider how language may impact on the production of Advocates General’s opinions, and how this, in turn, may affect the case law of the Court of Justice itself.

“The AG carries out a critical assessment of the case law, identifying trends, pointing out inconsistencies and outlining possible future developments for EU law. The AG, therefore, has long been of interest to scholars of EU law and much academic debate focuses on the influence of their opinions. There is, however, one important aspect of the role of AG at the CJEU which has thus far been largely overlooked: the linguistic aspect – how these opinions are articulated and understood – looking at issues such as language, translation, (multilingual) writing styles and drafting techniques.

“Although much of the academic debate on the role of the AG centres around the persuasive character of their writing, few studies investigate to what extent language may have an impact on the way in which they work.

“Questions of rhetoric, argumentation and linguistic, as well as legal, persuasiveness are all relevant when considering the influence of the AG on the development of EU law. The multilingualism policy and the translation regime within the CJEU itself introduce another variable, as the AG’s opinions may be translated into (up to 23) official EU languages for consideration across 28 member states. The workshop will be an excellent opportunity to consider these novel and important questions and feed into the ongoing LLECJ project.”

The workshop will take place at Dun Library, No. 6 Kildare St on Monday 5 November 2018 from 9am-5.30pm. More information, including on how to attend, is available from EventBrite.