How the Court works – the basics

Ensuring that EU law is respected throughout the EU is the job of the Court of Justice of the European Union. But how does it do this? This video provides a short introduction to how the Court works.

What happens when a Country doesn’t respect EU law?

The European Union is an organisation based on the rule of law. A basic principle of this is that EU countries must respect the rules they collectively adopt within the EU. Most of the times this isn’...

Judicial Transparency

Transparency is a core value of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It makes as much information as possible available on its website, including judgments, opinions and other case-related docu...

The division of competences between the Court of Justice and the General Court

Which court hears which case? In order to deal efficiently with the many hundreds of cases it receives each year, the workload of the Court of Justice of the European Union is shared between its two c...

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – binding rules with real-word impact

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is not just a set of abstract ideas, it has binding force, applied by Courts across the EU, including the Court of Justice of the European Union, to real cases aff...

Upholding the rule of law in the EU

Respect for the rule of law is a fundamental part of modern democracy. An independent judiciary is a key element of the rule of law. In recent years the Court of Justice has had to decide a number of ...

LGBTQ Rights protected by the Court of Justice

The Court of Justice has a long history of ensuring equal treatment of individuals regardless of gender or sexual orientation. This film explores just a few of the cases where the Court has helped to ...

Intellectual Property at the General Court

Intellectual property plays an important role in our economic success and the wellbeing of society in general. Discover the role that the General Court of the European Union plays in deciding what sho...

The Court of Justice and the Rights of Students

Through a number of rulings, the Court of Justice has helped to ensure that students can enjoy their rights to travel and study throughout the European Union. This video explains some of the most impo...

The Role of the Advocate General

The concept of an Advocate General is only found in some national legal systems. This short film explains how the Court’s 11 Advocates General provide an invaluable service to the Court enabling it to...

The Court of Justice and Cross-Border Medical Services

Over the years, the Court of Justice has been called upon to rule in a variety of cases raising questions about how EU rules on free movement apply to medical services. This short video explains a few...

The Court of Justice and the Environment

The EU strives for a high level of environmental protection, but these rules are only effective if they are enforced in the same way across Europe. This short video explains just a few of the Court’s ...

The Court of Justice of the EU and Sport – ensuring fair play off the field

Rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU have an impact in many areas, including in the world of sport. This film explains how the Court’s rulings have impacted the rights of sportspeople to freely m...

The Court of Justice in the Digital World

The increasing use of online services has brought with it new challenges, in particular with regard to privacy and data protection. This video explains how decisions of the Court of Justice have shape...

The Court of Justice: Guaranteeing the Rights of EU Consumers

The EU strives to achieve a high level of protection of consumers, and has adopted many laws designed to do just that. Sometimes however, the rules need clarification. That’s where the Court of Justic...

The Court of Justice in the Workplace – protecting the rights of workers

The workplace is just one example where EU law has an impact on the lives of EU citizens. This short video explains some of the key decisions of the Court of Justice of the EU in this field, covering ...

The Court of Justice: guaranteeing equal treatment and protecting minority rights

Throughout its history, the Court of Justice of the European Union has upheld the equal treatment of men and women and enforced anti-discrimination rules to ensure that everyone is treated the same un...

Multilingualism at the Court of Justice of the EU – Ensuring equal access to justice

Multilingualism is a key element of how the Court of Justice of the European Union works. This video explains why and how the Court can function efficiently in 24 languages.

Fundamental Case Law of the Court of Justice – Making EU Law Work for Citizens

Through its decisions, the Court of Justice of the European Union has made EU law more effective, and strengthened the rights of citizens. This short video explains how 3 of its early rulings have hel...

What has the Court of Justice done for me?

In over 25,000 rulings to date, the Court of Justice of the European Union has given decisions on a wide variety of matters directly affecting EU citizens’ lives. Here we look at just a few instances ...

How the Court protects citizens' rights – Bringing a case to the ECJ

Ensuring that EU law is respected throughout the EU is the job of the Court of Justice of the European Union. This video explains the different ways a case can be brought before the Court.

The Preliminary Ruling Procedure – A Dialogue with National Courts

References for preliminary rulings are a keystone of the EU’s legal system. With national courts applying EU law directly, this procedure allows them to check with the Court of Justice how laws should...

The General Court – Ensuring EU Institutions Respect EU Law

The General Court, one of the two courts that make up the Court of Justice of the European Union, ensures that the EU respects its own rules and remains an organisation based on the rule of law. This ...

Why does the Court of Justice of the EU Exist?

The Court of Justice of the European Union is the judicial body of the EU. Its role is to ensure that EU laws are respected by the EU’s institutions and Member States and applied in the same way throu...