Amendments to Russian Constitution and International Institutions Decisions: EAEU Prospective

Abstract

The constitutional reforms in Russia are amongst the most significant news for Russia’s partners in international relations. The configuration of international law and Russian domestic legal order falls within the scope of the constitutional changes of 2020, and there is no chance that this change will be abandoned by the legislator. This particular amendment was not actively commented on during the nationwide discussion on the constitutional reform; it drew mostly experts’ attention. The article alleges that the constitutional amendment restricting the applicability of international case law in Russia is both a transient response to the instant political tension around Russia, and a formalization of the positivistic trend well established in domestic judicial practice. The positivistic trend is part of the process shaping Russia’s own approach to international law. The prospective amendment concerning international case law in the Constitution of the Russian Federation will not hinder the rules expressly stated in the treaties of the EAEU. However, the resolutions of the EAEU’s structures and institutions, including the case law of the Court of the EAEU, are likely to be scrutinized in a defensive way by Russian Constitutional court in situations extraordinary for the Russian State, ensuring their conformity with the unquestionable and unconditional supremacy of the Russian Constitution.