2026: a year focussed on innovation and dialogue with citizens
2026 promises to be an important year for the Court, a year shaped by the implementation of projects with clear objectives: to bring European justice closer to the public, to increase the transparency of the Court’s activities and to improve access to its case-law, for both citizens and legal professionals.
That dynamic is reflected above all in the launch of the Court’s new website, which is intended to modernise and facilitate access to information about the Court by different sections of the interested public. Marking the completion of a total overhaul focused on the user experience, since January 2026 the Curia website has offered clearer, more intuitive navigation. The redesign is based on a complete restructuring of the information architecture, changes to content, now drafted in clear and easily understandable language, and a simpler, stripped-back graphic design.
The new site is equipped with a modernised search engine which allows all the Court’s information and resources to be consulted with greater speed and precision, both for the general public and for legal professionals. An initial version already offers full-text and document metadata search options, supplemented by new functionalities. An advanced interface, intended for legal professionals, will be launched soon and allow more targeted multi-criteria searches.
As usage patterns are evolving, in particular given the increasing significance of audiovisual media, the new website also provides access to an innovative service that was launched when the site was redesigned: the Curia Web TV platform. Supplementing the written information provided by press releases, Curia Web TV broadcasts – on the internet and on social media – a series of multilingual programmes aimed at improving the general public’s knowledge of the Institution and increasing the transparency of how it functions.
Programming is structured around the judicial calendar: explanatory briefings for hearings, broadcasting of hearings, live broadcasting of the reading of Opinions and delivery of judgments, short videos presented by Members of the two courts explaining the decisions handed down.
In addition to covering the latest judicial news, Curia Web TV also offers programmes in the form of interviews and presentations as well as coverage of the main events taking place at the Institution, offering a vivid, educational and tangible insight into the Court’s daily work.
Designed with the aim of reaching different audiences, three original programmes are regularly broadcast on the platform. First, ‘Cour des citoyens’ (Citizens’ Court), an educational programme for the general public which explains the composition, jurisdiction and mission of the Court and gives specific examples of how its rulings impact citizens’ daily lives. Next, designed to target younger generations, ‘Bright’ is a short-format, fun and jargon-free programme incorporating graphics, animations and questions put by young visitors. Its aim is to get viewers interested in the European project and to decipher the Court’s rulings by referring to day-to-day issues. Lastly, ‘Open Court’, a programme for a more informed audience, leaves the talking to the Members of the Institution and, in subject-specific programmes, sheds light on the Court’s mission, how it functions, the foundations of EU law, the role of citizens, their relationships with the institutions, the professions of Judge and Advocate General, the pathways to the Court and fundamental legal issues.
Although the Court is looking to the future and embracing new technologies, this does not mean it will forget the key milestones which marked the evolution of EU law, one of the most significant of which is the Charter of Fundamental Rights. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – proclaimed in Nice on 7 December 2000 – the Court will be organising, in early 2026, a special Meeting of Judges devoted to the big questions which shaped the origins of the Charter, its development, its future prospects, its entrenchment in the fundamental values of the European Union and its role within the national legal systems. These discussions with judges from all the Member States will contribute to an in-depth consideration of the current role of the Charter and the emerging challenges to effective judicial protection and respect for private life in Europe.
Through those initiatives, the approach taken by the Court will be one of renewal and openness. The launch of the new website, the upgrade of its search engine and the broadcasting of Curia Web TV online reflect the intention to make the Court more accessible and easier to understand, whilst the celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Charter is a reminder that the Charter gives concrete expression to the rights guaranteed for citizens by the EU legal order. One goal is clear from all those actions: to bring the Court closer to citizens, consolidating a direct and trust-based relationship with citizens founded on the effective protection of their rights.