The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool
in consumer cases

a 2026

The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases

BUDINSKÁ, Barbora; Zuzana VIKARSKÁ a Ladislav KOVÁČ

Základní údaje

Originální název

The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases

Autoři

BUDINSKÁ, Barbora; Zuzana VIKARSKÁ a Ladislav KOVÁČ

Vydání

ELU-S 2026 Conference, 2026

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Konferenční abstrakt

Obor

50501 Law

Stát vydavatele

Česká republika

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Organizační jednotka

Právnická fakulta

Klíčová slova česky

předběžné otázky; spotřebitelské právo; procesní aspekty

Klíčová slova anglicky

preliminary references; consumer law; procedural aspects

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 30. 7. 2026 11:53, JUDr. Bc. Zuzana Vikarská, MJur, MPhil, Ph.D.

Anotace

V originále

Strategic litigation, understood as legal action pursued not merely to win a specific case but to achieve broader social,political, or economic ends, is an increasingly prominent feature of EU law. While existing scholarship has focused largelyon public-interest litigants such as NGOs in fields like climate change, migration, and digital rights, this paper explores howthe preliminary ruling procedure can be deployed strategically in EU consumer law. Drawing on an original empirical dataset, the paper uses Slovak courts as a case study to develop a broader doctrinalargument. Between May 2004 and April 2024, Slovak courts submitted more references on consumer protection to theCourt of Justice than any other EU member state. Yet a striking number never produced a ruling: businesses repeatedlywithdrew complaints or offered settlements to prevent Luxembourg from issuing a judgment. Given that preliminary rulingsbind all national courts across the EU, an adverse ruling carries consequences far exceeding any individual dispute.Businesses, aware that the Court consistently favours high levels of consumer protection, exploit the incidental, dispute-dependent nature of preliminary rulings as a tool of regulatory evasion. The paper connects two underexplored questions: the role of private-interest actors in strategic litigation before the Courtand the structural limitations of the preliminary ruling procedure as a vehicle for securing uniform interpretation of EU law.It proposes that the Court should reconsider its admissibility approach to withdrawn references, so that proceduralmanoeuvre cannot frustrate the coherent application of EU consumer law.

Návaznosti

GA22-21872S, projekt VaV

Název: Justiční dialog v evropských věcech: příklad ČR a SR

Investor: Grantová agentura ČR, Justiční dialog v evropských případech: příklad ČR a SR

Citovat

BUDINSKÁ, Barbora; Zuzana VIKARSKÁ a Ladislav KOVÁČ. The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases. In ELU-S 2026 Conference. 2026.

@proceedings{2584145,
   author = {Budinská, Barbora and Vikarská, Zuzana and Kováč, Ladislav},
   booktitle = {ELU-S 2026 Conference},
   keywords = {preliminary references; consumer law; procedural aspects},
   language = {eng},
   title = {The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases},
   year = {2026}
}

TY  - CONF
ID  - 2584145
AU  - Budinská, Barbora - Vikarská, Zuzana - Kováč, Ladislav
PY  - 2026
TI  - The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases
KW  - preliminary references
KW  - consumer law
KW  - procedural aspects
N2  - Strategic litigation, understood as legal action pursued not merely to win a specific case but to achieve broader social,political, or economic ends, is an increasingly prominent feature of EU law. While existing scholarship has focused largelyon public-interest litigants such as NGOs in fields like climate change, migration, and digital rights, this paper explores howthe preliminary ruling procedure can be deployed strategically in EU consumer law. Drawing on an original empirical dataset, the paper uses Slovak courts as a case study to develop a broader doctrinalargument. Between May 2004 and April 2024, Slovak courts submitted more references on consumer protection to theCourt of Justice than any other EU member state. Yet a striking number never produced a ruling: businesses repeatedlywithdrew complaints or offered settlements to prevent Luxembourg from issuing a judgment. Given that preliminary rulingsbind all national courts across the EU, an adverse ruling carries consequences far exceeding any individual dispute.Businesses, aware that the Court consistently favours high levels of consumer protection, exploit the incidental, dispute-dependent nature of preliminary rulings as a tool of regulatory evasion. The paper connects two underexplored questions: the role of private-interest actors in strategic litigation before the Courtand the structural limitations of the preliminary ruling procedure as a vehicle for securing uniform interpretation of EU law.It proposes that the Court should reconsider its admissibility approach to withdrawn references, so that proceduralmanoeuvre cannot frustrate the coherent application of EU consumer law.
ER  -

BUDINSKÁ, Barbora; Zuzana VIKARSKÁ a Ladislav KOVÁČ. The preliminary ruling procedure as a strategic litigation tool in consumer cases. In \textit{ELU-S 2026 Conference}. 2026.

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