The Constitutional Courts of Small Jurisdictions identifies features and challenges common to the constitutional courts of small state jurisdictions in Europe.
The constitutional courts of the following small state jurisdictions are explored: Andorra, Cyprus, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, and San Marino. For each country’s constitutional court, the following matters are examined: the history of the court; its composition; its standing and the types of proceedings; jurisdiction of the court; procedural steps and rules; the nature and effect of the decisions rendered; relations with other courts (CJEU, ECHR, etc.); and current issues and future developments. The book concludes by identifying some common features and challenges that constitutional courts of small states are confronted with, formulating recommendations for other small state jurisdictions across the world.
This book will be of great interest and use to practitioners and scholars working in and researching constitutional law in general, and constitutional courts in particular. It will be invaluable for those dealing with small states, as it pays attention to an often forgotten - but important - aspect of the rule of law, and thus also of democracy.
1. Introduction Danny Pieters
2. Andorra Willem Verrijdt
3.Cyprus Polina Hadjimitsi
4. Estonia Karin Leichter-Tammisto
5. Liechtenstein Tim Souverijns
6. Luxembourg Jean-Claude Wiwinius
7. Malta Tim Souverijns
8. Monaco Willem Verrijdt
9. Montenegro Aleksandra Vukasinovic
10. San Marino Danny Pieters
11. Are constitutional courts of small jurisdictions special? Willem Verrijdt and Danny Pieters
Index
Biography
Danny Pieters is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Law and Social Security Law at the KU Leuven Law School (Belgium). He is also a former member of the Belgian Federal Parliament (including as the President of the Senate in 2010/2011). Between 1994 and 2013, he served as Secretary General of the European Institute of Social Security, of which he has been President since 2023. In 2021 he was appointed a judge of the Belgian Constitutional Court.
