Article 177 reference

A procedure under Article 177 of the EC Treaty whereby national courts, in the course of proceedings before them, can put questions to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) either on the interpretation of relevant parts of the EC Treaty or relevant secondary legislation or on the constitutionality of relevant secondary legislation. The purpose is to try to ensure a uniform application of EC law throughout the European Union. The ECJ is always careful to avoid expressing a view on how its ruling should be applied in the context of the national proceedings.