32As the Court has repeatedly held, national courts have the widest discretion in referring questions to the Court involving interpretation of relevant provisions of EU law (see, to that effect, judgment in Rheinmühlen-Düsseldorf, 166/73, EU:C:1974:3, paragraph 3), that discretion being replaced by an obligation for courts of final instance, subject to certain exceptions recognised by the Court’s case-law (see, to that effect, judgment in Cilfit and Others, 283/81, EU:C:1982:335, paragraph 21 and operative part). A rule of national law cannot prevent a national court, where appropriate, from using that discretion, (see to that effect, judgments in Rheinmühlen-Düsseldorf, 166/73, EU:C:1974:3, paragraph 4; Melki and Abdeli, C‑188/10 and C‑189/10, EU:C:2010:363, paragraph 42, and Elchinov, C‑173/09, EU:C:2010:581, paragraph 27) or complying with that obligation.
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