Hearing: Cases C-865/24 P Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles and Others v Council and C-866/24 P Ordre des avocats à la cour de Paris and Couturier v Council

On Tuesday 14 July 2026, the Court of Justice will hear Cases C-865/24 P Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles and Others v Council and C-866/24 P Ordre des avocats à la cour de Paris and Couturier v Council.

These cases concern the EU restrictive measures adopted in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, in particular the prohibition on providing legal advisory services to the Russian government and companies established in Russia.

The Paris Bar Association and several Belgian bar associations challenged this prohibition before the General Court, arguing that it infringes certain fundamental rights, including the right to receive legal advice. The General Court dismissed the actions, finding that the measure is justified by the EU’s objectives of general interest.

The bar associations have now appealed these judgments before the Court of Justice, asking it to determine whether the General Court was correct to uphold the validity of the prohibition.

The hearing will be available in the Curia Web TV section of our website after it has been completed.

In the video below, a press officer of the Court gives an overview of the facts of the cases and the legal issues involved.