ABSTRACT – In the context of the action for annulment C-19/23, the Court of Justice was called upon to exercise its power of review over the validity of Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in relation to the scope of matters excluded from the competence of the EU legislator pursuant toArticle 153(5) TFEU. This article aims to analyse the reasoning behind the judgment with regard to the most relevant provisions of the directive in question, providing a counterpoint to the reasoning of the Advocate General’s conclusions. In this way, it will attempt to explain the need, which emerged from the judgment, to balance the social dimension of integration with the limits of the principle of conferral.
