The Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS) has published through Cambridge University Press an archive issue of the Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies in honour of Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston to mark 10 years of her service at the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
"On 11 January 2006, Eleanor Sharpston became the fourth Advocate General of British nationality to join the Court of Justice of the European Union, following Jean-Pierre Warner, Gordon Slynn and Francis Jacobs.
Eleanor came to the Court after an outstanding career both at the bar, where she practised law for more than twenty years, and in academia, particularly at the University of Cambridge where she studied economics, languages and law and has, since 1992, been a member of its Law Faculty.
Her work as a barrister and her academic publications left no doubt that she would excel in her new role at the Court, whilst acting in complete impartiality and independence. At hearings, both agents and lawyers have witnessed the incisiveness and pertinence of her questions. That should come as no surprise since those questions are put by a person who knows the Court of Justice quite literally inside-out. Inside because Eleanor previously worked as a référendaire in the Chambers of Gordon Slynn. Outside because she represented the UK government before the Court on more than twenty occasions.
Her Opinions – over two hundreds of them to date – have always provided food for thought and exemplify the role that the Advocate General should ideally play at the Court. In that regard, to mark her ten years at the Court and as a token of gratitude for her contribution to the law of the EU, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate that landmark than by publishing online a collection of essays reflecting on the role of the Advocate General."
Prof. dr. Koen Lenaerts
President of the Court of Justice of the European Union
Launched in 1998, the Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies is CELS' principal publication. The Yearbook offers authors and readers a space for sustained reflection and conversation about the challenges facing Europe and the diverse legal contexts in which those challenges are addressed. It identifies European Legal Studies as a broad field of legal enquiry encompassing not only European Union law but also the law emanating from the Council of Europe; comparative European public and private law; and national law in its interaction with European legal sources.
In 2015, CELS entered into a new partnership with Cambridge University Press to publish the Yearbook, enhancing the profile and accessibility of the Yearbook within Cambridge Journals Online. You can access the Yearbook on the CUP website. All articles are available online in advance of publication via FirstView and are published in print in one annual volume.