EU’s top court could interfere over the content of any Brexit deal, Europe’s most senior judge has warned
Koen Lenaerts said that the European Court of Justice could be called in to have its say if there are disputes over the law
BRITAIN's Brexit deal could be influenced by the EU's top court, Europe's most senior judge has said.
Koen Lenaerts said the European Court of Justice could be called upon to resolve disputes that may emerge out of the Brexit negotiations.
The President of the European Court of Justice said that the legal path for leaving the EU "can be interpreted by our court like any other provision of union law".
Mr Lenaerts told the there were "many, many different ways" that Britain leaving the EU could end up there, as there were a range of legal issues that the courts could be called upon to untangle.
This could mean the court has a say on whether Article 50 could be revoked, even after it was triggered, and what the impact of Brexit could be on citizens and companies.
Matters of EU law can only be settled in the court in Luxembourg, meaning that the bloc itself could interfere and influence the terms of Britain's exit.
The European Court of Justice is obliged to look at any request that is put before it.
“I can’t even start intellectually beginning, imagining how and where and from which angle it might come,” said Mr Lenaerts.
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Steve Peers, a professor of EU law at Essex University, said: “It’s probably only a matter of time before some aspect of the Brexit issue gets decided by the EU courts; and there’s no small irony in that prospect.”
EU leaders are under pressure to make Britain's exit deal harsh, to deter other countries from holding their own referendums on membership.
France's National Front and Netherlands' Party for Freedom want full 'in-out' referendums like Britain does, but some like Hungry, asked the people to vote on whether to close the door to EU refugees and migrants.
The news comes as David Davis meets with MEPs and officials in Brussels today to try and lay good foundations for talks, which can only take place after Theresa May triggers Article 50 in March next year.
He is set for a tough time, however, as Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament negotiator he is meeting, this morning tweeted a link to a newspaper article when Mr Davis appeared to refer to him as "Satan".