Der Blick von außen – A View From Outside

The Federal Constitutional Court will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2026. To mark this occasion, representatives of apex courts and academia from 42 foreign jurisdictions have been invited to offer an external perspective on the Court and its work. This acknowledges the growing international interconnectedness of supreme courts in general, and of the Federal Constitutional Court in particular, over recent decades. The contributions revolve around questions such as: How does the Federal Constitutional Court interact with foreign supreme courts and their scientific communities? Which of its decisions are well received, and which provoke criticism? Has the Court's perception abroad changed over time? Have there been phases of particularly close cooperation as well as periods of indifference or estrangement? Are argumentative patterns and legal concepts adopted-and if so, in what form? Which factors appear problematic from an international perspective? Finally, the question arises as to what insights the Federal Constitutional Court and German legal scholarship can draw from the international perspective-and which they have already gained. The contributions collected in this Festschrift are thus to be understood both as reflections on and as illustrations of how a »migration of constitutional ideas« functions in practice.

I. Afrika / Africa
José Pina-Delgado and Liriam Tiujo-Delgado (Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Kap Verde, Mozambik, São Tomé und Príncipe / Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe): The Presence of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany in Portuguese-Speaking African and Asian Countries' Constitutional Jurisdictions - Willy Mutunga (Kenia / Kenya): Temples of Justice: The German Federal Constitutional Court - James Fowkes (Südafrika / South Africa): On Whether to Walk the Long Road to Karlsruhe: A South African Perspective - Chris Maina Peter (Tansania / United Republic of Tanzania): The German Federal Constitutional Court Celebrates Its Diamond Jubilee: Some Notes from Tanzania
II. Amerika / Americas
Virgílio Afonso da Silva (Brasilien / Brazil): Deliberation als Transformation - Richard Albert (Kanada / Canada): Does Unamendability Ever Matter? - Natalia Ángel-Cabo (Kolumbien / Colombia): German Traces, Colombian Paths. The Dialogic Influence of the Bundesverfassungsgericht on Colombia's Constitutional Design and Jurisprudence - Russell A. Miller (Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika / United States of America): The Comparative Constitutional Court - Kim Lane Scheppele (Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika / United States of America): he German Federal Constitutional Court in America
III. Asien / Asia
Jahnavi Sindhu and Vikram A. Narayan (Indien / India): The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany: A View from India - Aharon Barak (Israel): An Israeli Perspective on the German Constitutional Law - Tomoaki Kurishima (Japan): Das Bundesverfassungsgericht im Spiegel einer japanischen Perspektive. Zur Rezeptionsgeschichte, zu seinen Merkmalen und institutionellen Stärken - Yoo Namseok (Korea / Republic of Korea): The Perspective of the Constitutional Court of Korea on the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. A Constitutional Court as the Guardian and Promoter of Fundamental Rights - Ece Göztepe (Türkei / Türkiye): Eine mühsame Spurensuche: der Einfluss des Bundesverfassungsgerichts auf das türkische Recht - Shu-Perng Hwang (Taiwan): Das deutsche Bundesverfassungsgericht und die taiwanische Verfassungsentwicklung - Xie Libin (Volksrepublik China / People`s Republic of China): Wissenschaftliche Rezeption der Rechtsprechung des BVerfG in China
IV. Europa / Europe
Pierre Nihoul (Belgien / Belgium): A Citizens' Court? - Madis Ernits (Estland / Estonia): The Estonian Special Path - Síofra O'Leary (Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte / European Court of Human Rights): European Judicial Dialogue and the FCC: A Look Back to the Future - Koen Lenaerts (Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union / Court of Justice of the European Union): Enge Weggefährten: das Bundesverfassungsgericht und der Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union - Vassilios Skouris (Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union / Court of Justice of the European Union): Bundesverfassungsgericht und Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union: ein auf gegenseitiger Achtung beruhendes Verhältnis - Pauliine Koskelo (Finnland / Finland): How I See the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany: A Personal View from Finland - Aurore Gaillet (Frankreich / France): Der Blick aus Frankreich - Daria de Pretis (Italien / Italy): Das Bundesverfassungsgericht: eine italienische Perspektive - Jānis Neimanis (Lettland / Latvia): The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia in Comparative Perspective with the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany - Jolita Miliuvienė (Litauen / Lithuania): German Legal Thought in Lithuanian Constitutionalism. The Impact of the Jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court on Lithuanian Constitutional Development - Georges Ravarani (Luxemburg / Luxembourg): 75 Jahre Bundesverfassungsgericht - Martin Kuijer (Niederlande / The Netherlands): Better Is a Neighbour Who Is Near Than a Brother Who Is Far Away - Christoph Grabenwarter (Österreich / Austria): Das gesprächige Gericht - Jerzy Kranz (Polen / Poland): Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Some Remarks on the 75th Anniversary of the Bundesverfassungsgericht and on Its Legacy - Mirosław Wyrzykowski (Polen / Poland): The Polish Constitutional Tribunal: From Glory to Misery - Gonçalo de Almeida Ribeiro (Portugal): A Fundamental Right to a Self-Determined Death? - Tamara Morščakova (Russische Föderation / Russian Federation): Der Einfluss von Theorie und Rechtsprechung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts auf die Anfänge der gerichtlichen Verfassungskontrolle in Russland - Giovanni Biaggini (Schweiz / Switzerland): Wo viel Licht ist, ist auch Schatten. Vergleichende Beobachtungen zum Bundesverfassungsgericht aus schweizerischer Sicht - Cándido Conde-Pumpido Tourón (Spanien / Spain): Permeability and Constitutional Mutation - Josef Baxa (Tschechien / Czech Republic): Wenn die Morgendämmerung im Westen anbricht. Einige Anmerkungen zur Bedeutung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts für die Entwicklung der Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit in Tschechien - Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine): The Federal Constitutional Court and Ukrainian Constitutional Law - Pál Sonnevend (Ungarn / Hungary): Ein Fels in der Brandung. Die Orientierungswirkung des Bundesverfassungsgerichts für die Europäische Rechtsgemeinschaft - Jeff King (Vereinigtes Königreich / United Kingdom): The Influence of the Federal Constitutional Court on UK Law and Constitutional Theory