The Centre of European Law is delighted to host Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Nicholas Emiliou, to deliver the Centre's 47th Annual Lecture, Proportionality in EU Law: Does One Size Fit All?

This is an in-person event and we warmly welcome all with an interest in EU Law to join us for this important annual event for the Centre and its wider communities. Refreshments will be provided with a drinks reception to follow Advocate General Emiliou's lecture.

The event will be chaired by Professor Sir Francis Jacobs KCMG KC, President of The Centre of European Law.

Abstract

“The principle of proportionality, as conceived by the Court of Justice of the EU, leaves the Court, inevitably, with much discretion in assessing whether a measure has gone too far. Depending on the nature of the measure under review, proportionality is applied with various degrees stringency in reviewing administrative or even legislative action. This lecture will focus on these subtle distinctions and differentiations made by the Court, intended to protect the sphere of the individual, without disregarding unduly the vital interests of the community at large”.

Speaker Bio

Nicholas Emiliou is Advocate General at the European Court of Justice. After a successful academic career in London, he was joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and was first appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary at the EU Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1998, he became Deputy Permanent Delegate of Cyprus to the European Union, and in 1999, became Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Republic of Cyprus on Ireland. From 2002 to 2004, he was Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the Council of Europe. From 2004 to 2008, he was Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the European Union and from 2008 to 2012; he was Permanent Secretary, that is, the senior permanent official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2012, he was appointed Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN which he left in 2017 to return to Brussels as Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the European Union. On 21 April 2021, he became Advocate General of the European Court of Justice.