Group Visits

The Court of Justice aspires to bring the Court closer to its citizens, including by organising visits. The visits are intended to enable a better understanding of the purpose and the fundamental role of the EU Courts and to show how the judgments of the Court have a direct impact on the lives of European citizens.

Due to the specific nature of the activities of the institution, the Court of Justice of the European Union receives, at its seat in Luxembourg, specialized groups such as national judges, barristers, solicitors, university professors, in-house lawyers, etc.

The Court also welcomes large numbers of other visitors, particularly law students.

While in-person visits are still the recommended way to discover the institution, virtual visits are now possible.

Visits to the Court of Justice are restricted to the Court terms and take place on working days between 8 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.

For individual visits or tours, please refer to the relevant page.

Visits organised by the Seminars and Visits Unit are free of charge and take place in all official languages of the European Union.

In the context of the ‘EMAS’ system, the Visits Service of the Court of Justice of the European Union is committed, in all its activities, to act in an environmentally friendly manner and continuously improve its actions, in particular, by offering virtual programmes and distributing dematerialized documentation.

Before requesting a visit to the Court, please read carefully the information concerning the conditions of registration and organisation.

Types of activities organized by the Visits Service

The Visits Service offers two types of activities: visits and seminars.

Both activities are available in in-person and virtual formats.

Conditions of registration

The My Visit application is used to manage both in-person and virtual visits. The group leader is requested to use this application to make the reservation request. When making your request, please specify, in the ‘remarks’ section, if you want the virtual format.

  • Due to the specific nature of the activities of the Court, priority will be given to groups of legal practioners or law students.
  • The minimum age of participants is 18 years. Please contact the Visits Service with regard to requests for groups of students who are not at university level (contact form – ‘organised visits’ section).
  • Since there is a high level of interest in the Court, requests for visits should be made five to six months in advance.
  • In-person visits are organised for groups of at least 7 and no more than 35 persons. For groups of any other size, please contact the Seminars and Visits Unit (contact form).
  • Virtual visits are organised for groups of at least 7 participants. 

Programme components for in-person or virtual visits

For both in-person and virtual visits, you can chose the programme components that best match your interests and your legal knowledge, and which fit in with your time constraints.

  • Hearing in a case before the Court of Justice or the General Court, preceded by a summary of the case (generally on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:20 to 11:30 (approximately 3 hours). This component of the program is available only for in-person visits.
  • General presentation of the Court of Justice / General Court (duration: 45 minutes)
  • Presentation on work of a lawyer-linguist (45 minutes)
  • Presentation of multilingualism at the Court of Justice (translation, interpretation) (45 minutes)
  • Visit to the library (30 minutes; 10 minutes for virtual visits)
  • Guided tour of the buildings (45 minutes; 30 minutes for guided virtual visits)

These programme components can be selected in the questionnaire that you are asked to complete in the ‘My Visit’ application (see the section on ‘Connection to My Visit’). Subject to the availability of Court staff and other resources, the Visits Service will do its best to accommodate your choice.

Virtual Visits

Virtual visits are organised under the same conditions as in-person visits. However, the size of the group is not limited to 35 participants. You are free to choose from the programme components mentioned in the preceding section to organise your programme. Virtual visits can be adapted to the level of knowledge and to the interests of the group. The Court of Justice has a platform designed for these programmes, but, under certain conditions, the Visits Service may also accept the virtual visit taking place via the platform of your choice. The participants can log in individually and the Visits service will provide you with a login link and, if necessary, the date and link for a possible login test.

You can request a virtual visit via the ‘My Visit’ application (see the section on ‘Connection to My Visit’). When making your request, please specify, in the ‘remarks’ section, if you want the virtual format.

Within a reasonable period of time (at least two weeks before the date), you can also request to change your in-person visit into a virtual visit or vice versa.

In case of difficulty or for any question related to the organisation of your visit, please contact the Visits Service (contact form - ‘organised visits’ section).

Seminars

Seminars lasting one or two days and proposing programs more closely tailored to the interests of participants can be arranged at the request of a group of judges.

The aim of these seminars is to contribute to the dissemination and better understanding of EU law in order to better its application. The seminars are also intended to facilitate dialogue between national judges and EU judges and judicial cooperation between different Member States.

The seminars are also available in virtual format.

If you are interested in a specific format, please contact the Visits Service (contact form - ‘organised visits’ section) who will provide you with all the necessary instructions.

Organisation of in-person programmes

  • The group leader is requested to send, at least two weeks before the visit, a list of the participants and their dates of birth via the My Visit application. Please do not exceed the stated number of participants without first contacting the Visits Service in writing.
  • The Visits Service communicates the proposed programme approximately two weeks before the visit and the final programme approximately one week before the visit, via the contact person’s My Visit personal profile.
  • On the day of the visit, the group is requested to arrive at the entrance and at the time indicated on the programme. Strict punctuality is requested. Visitors’ attention is drawn to the heavy traffic in Luxembourg, resulting in frequent traffic jams in the mornings on the motorways and in the capital.
  • Due to security measures, visitors will have to pass through a metal detector, as will their hand luggage and other personal items.
  • Depending on the health situation, it may be necessary to check health certificates.
  • Visitors are required to comply with the Court’s security rules and rules of conduct.
  • A guide from the Seminars and Visits Unit greets the group of visitors at the entrance to the Court. That person accompanies and supervises the group throughout its visit to the Court of Justice. Group leaders are also responsible for supervising visitors and assisting the guide.
  • All participants are asked to have with them their identity card, passport or driving licence.
  • As a rule, access to the self-service restaurant or cafeteria of the Court is reserved for staff.
  • After the visit to the Court, the group leader is asked to complete an assessment form, available online at :

 https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/MY_Visit_Evaluation

  • Please note that, in exceptional circumstances, the Court reserves the right to cancel a planned visit.
  • The Visits Service sends a login link to the group leader, and if needed, the date and link for a possible login test;
  • The group leader provides to the other participants all the information received (programme, login link, date of the login test).
  • The group leader is invited to specify the number of expected logins; for this format of visit, it is not necessary to enter the names, nor the dates of birth of the participants.
  • The leader of the group is responsible for the composition of the group and undertakes to distribute the login link only to the expected visitors.
  • The Visits Service communicates the proposed program approximately two weeks in advance and the final program approximately one week before the visit via the contact persons personal ‘My Visit’.
  • On the day of the visit, strict punctuality is requested from the visitors.
  • A colleague from the Seminars and Visits Unit supervises the virtual programme and ensures that it runs smoothly.
  • After the visit to the Court, the group leader is asked to complete an assessment form, available online at :

Organisation of virtual programmes

 https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/MY_Visit_Evaluation

  • Please note that, in exceptional circumstances, the Court reserves the right to cancel a planned visit.

Request for a visit to the Court of Justice of the European Union / Connection to My Visit

The My Visit application allows you to manage in-person and virtual visits. The group leader is requested to use the application to make their reservation. When making your request, please indicate, in the ‘remarks’ section, if you would like the virtual format.

To use the application, you must have a valid email address and you need to create your personal profile. Through the personal profile, you can:

  • create your visitor groups for re-use in connection with subsequent visits;
  • view potential dates for visits before making a request;
  • choose the programme components for your visit.

Once the request has been made, you will be able to log on to your personal profile and:

  • track the progress of your visit request;
  • amend certain details of your visit request before validating it;
  • consult or print out information concerning your visit;
  • save the details of your previous visits.

If you encounter any problems when using the My Visit application, you can consult the online user handbook by clicking on ‘?’ or use the contact form - ‘organised visits’ section.

Connection to My Visit

If you do not have an email address, please go to Contact.

Guided tours of the buildings and art works (Art tour)

Thanks to the donations and loans of the Member States, the Court of Justice of the European Union holds a collection of art works representative of Europe’s cultural heritage. The architectural intervention of Dominique Perrault in the buildings of the Court has enabled the reorganisation and showcasing of that collection. The Visits Service of the CJEU regularly organises free guided visits to appreciate this art collection in an emblematic architectural context.

These tours are organised, according to a predefined schedule, in English, French or German, for up to 20 visitors per tour. Anyone interested in taking part in such a tour is requested to register at least 2 working days in advance, using the registration form. Visitors with confirmed places are requested to come to the visitor’s entrance (plan) 15 minutes before the start of the tour, bringing with them an identity document.

Additional guided tours, for groups only (of at least 7 participants), can be organised on request to the Visits Service (contact form – ‘organised visits’ section).