This week we’re looking at the European Court of Justice. How does it operate? How political is it? And is public opinion ever taken into account?One of the chief stumbling blocks in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol has concerned the role of the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice, and parts of the Conservative Party are ever agitated by the quite separate European Court of Human Rights and its role in adjudicating on human rights disputes. So we have made two episodes looking at these institutions, starting with this one. We’re focusing this week on the European Court of Justice. Joining us is Dr Michal Ovádek, Lecturer in European Institutions, Politics and Policy here in the UCL Department of Political Science. Michal has recently published an article on a 2018 European Court of Justice ruling concerning the pay of Portuguese judges. That might seem a little obscure. But it turns out that the case had important real-world impacts, and also tells us a lot about how the court operates. Mentioned in this episode: "The making of landmark rulings in the European Union: the case of national judicial independence." Michal Ovádek. Journal of European Public Policy For more information and to access the transcript: https://ucl-uncovering-politics.simplecast.com/episodesDate of episode recording: 2023-02-23Duration: Language of episode: English (UK)

Presenter:Alan RenwickGuests: Michal OvádekProducer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham