Explained: The Court of Justice of the European Union

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is the EU’s highest judicial authority. Based in Luxembourg, it ensures that European Union law is interpreted and applied uniformly across all Member States.

The CJEU consists of two institutions: the General Court (formerly known as the Court of First Instance) and the Court of Justice.

The General Court has jurisdiction to handle disputes between the Union and its servants, otherwise referred to as direct actions, as well as to hear and determine requests for a preliminary ruling in certain limited cases. Direct actions consist of (1) actions for annulments against decisions of Union institutions, agencies or bodies, (2) actions against a Union institution, agency, or body’s failure to act, as well as (3) actions for damages against the European Union or certain institutions of the European Union. Final decisions of the General Court may be appealed to the Court of Justice.

The Court of Justice deals with appeals brought on points of law against judgments and decisions of the General Court. It also deals with most requests for preliminary rulings from national courts.

The composition of the number of judges in any case depends on the legal difficulty or the importance of the case. The most important and difficult cases are heard by the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice, which is composed of fifteen judges.