§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the judicial body and its treaty or other international basis empowered to adjudicate and provide interpretations and judgments concerning(a) the international treaties comprising the core structure and operation of the principal Treaties of the European Community and Union and (b) a formal European Constitution, once agreed, ratified and operative, similar to that under current consideration. [146976]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Court of First Instance, each within its own jurisdiction, ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and application of the European Community Treaty, under the terms of its Article 220. 643W The powers of the ECJ in respect of the Treaty on European Union are set out in that Treaty's Article 46. The ECJ would be responsible for ensuring respect for the law in the interpretation and application of the Constitutional Treaty (draft Article 1.28 (1)).