On 11 March in Luxembourg, at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), a ceremonial event took place during which the space located at the top of the Court’s tower was named after Mykolas Pijus Römeris.

Professor Mykolas Pijus Römeris (1880-1945) was a lawyer, historian, journalist, publicist, scholar, public figure, and Rector of the University of Lithuania. His biography is closely intertwined with the formation of the modern Lithuanian state.

During the ceremony, CJEU Advocate-General Rimvydas Norkus emphasized Römeris’s exceptional contribution to Lithuanian legal thought and statehood:

“His contribution to the state, society, and legal scholarship is invaluable. He served as a judge of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania, was the Rector of the University of Lithuania, and a Lithuanian judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague.”

The event was also attended by a delegation from Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), including the President of the Lithuanian University Rectors’ Conference and MRU Rector, Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, and MRU Professor Dr. Ieva Deviatnikovaitė.

In her welcoming speech, the MRU Rector highlighted M. Römeris’s significance for the development of Lithuanian constitutional thought:

“After Lithuania restored its independence in 1918, Römeris became the principal architect of its constitutional doctrine, drawing on advanced European legal thought and comparing constitutional models from France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Finland, and the United States.”

During the ceremony, MRU Professor Dr. Ieva Deviatnikovaitė presented an overview of Mykolas Römeris’s life, his activities in Lithuania, and his international legal experience. She also drew attention to Römeris’s views on judicial work and the administration of justice:

“As a judge at all levels of the Lithuanian court system, M. Römeris reflected on methods of legal reasoning and the psychology of judges when making judicial decisions. He emphasized the importance of clarity in legal argumentation, stating that justice is not achieved if the parties to the case themselves do not understand the decision. He was particularly critical of judicial bias, warning that it turns a court into nothing more than a pale caricature of justice.”

Members of Römeris’s family also attended the event — his grandson and great-grandchildren — who presented the Court of Justice of the European Union with a portrait of Römeris brought from The Hague.

The ceremony began with the national anthem of the Republic of Lithuania, performed by Ilan Schneider.

More than 150 guests attended the event, including CJEU President Koen Lenaerts, the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Dainius Petras Kamaitis, judges of the CJEU, members of the Court’s administration, heads of departments, interpreters, and members of the Lithuanian community in Luxembourg.