How a German politician’s lawsuit may change the EU for good

(EurActiv, 16 Oct 2023) An individual lawsuit filed by German lawmaker René Repasi against the European Commission over the EU finance taxonomy could result in the right to sue for every EU lawmaker, and possibly shake the European Union’s legal framework to its core.

Repasi, a social democrat MEP from Baden-Württemberg, spoke to Euractiv from his corner office on the 12th floor of the European Parliament.

“Becoming a member of the European Parliament was honestly not part of my life plan,” the German social democrat explained. But when his predecessor, the veteran former vice-president Evelyne Gebhardt, retired in 2022, Repasi accepted the call to replace her in Brussels and the corner office.

A professor of EU law at Rotterdam University, Repasi quickly involved himself in the Parliament’s legal affairs committee. This spring, he filed his first lawsuit, which was rejected by the court of first instance in Luxembourg in June.

Known as T-628/22, his lawsuit has sparked intense debate in the EU’s legal circles. After the first rejection, Repasi turned to the top court, the Court of Justice of the European Union, whose decision is expected at the earliest in the first half of 2024.

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EurActiv, 16 Oct 2023: How a German politician’s lawsuit may change the EU for good