The ‘National Decisions’ database (Dec.Nat): Introducing a database on national courts’ interactions with European Law

Abstract:

This article makes a contribution to the empirical study of the European legal order, by introducing the ‘National Decisions’ database maintained by the Association of Councils of States and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union. Containing large-scale information on 27,100 national decisions relating to European law, including cases that do not involve preliminary references, the database allows researchers to get beyond the focus on decisions of the ECJ to get a better understanding of the larger universe of cases where national courts apply European law. This article illustrates how we can use the database to expand on existing scholarship. It focuses on the study of the judicial enforcement of European law through national courts, in particular.