definition of preliminary ruling
A preliminary ruling is a decision of the European Court of Justice on the interpretation of European Union law, made at the request of a court or tribunal of a European Union member state. Preliminary rulings are final determinations of Union law in question by the EU courts. The final decision remains with the referring court to be decided after it received the preliminary ruling. European Union preliminary rulings can only be made by the European Court of Justice. The Treaty of Lisbon provide