La Corte di Giustizia si pronuncia sull’art. 7, par. 1, TUE e sui limiti alla propria competenza nelle procedure “nucleari” a tutela dei valori europei: la sentenza Ungheria c. Parlamento europeo (C- 650/18)

The article examines the recent judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in the annulment action Hungary v European Parliament (C‑650/18), concerning the reasoned proposal triggering the procedure under Article 7(1) TEU. The article discusses two of the most salient aspects dealt with in the judgment: the competence of the Court to review acts adopted under the so-called preventive instrument for the protection of the EU values and the voting mechanism provided for in Article 354 TFEU (notably the meaning of “votes cast”). It is submitted that the Court’s narrow interpretation of the limits to its jurisdiction under Article 269 TFEU is in line with the Union’s nature as a community “based on the rule of law”. At the same time, the Court missed the opportunity to clarify further procedural aspects concerning the procedures under Article 7 TEU.