TJUE
Published 8 November 2026, 22:29
TJUE — Tribunal de Justiça da União Europeia (Court of Justice of the European Union)
The highest court of the European Union, based in Luxembourg. It rules on how EU laws and directives should be interpreted, and its rulings bind the courts of every member state, including Portugal's. A case usually reaches it like this: a national court hearing a dispute asks the TJUE how to interpret an EU rule, then decides the case on the basis of its answer.
Where you come across it. News about banks and payments, consumer rights, visas and residence permits, taxes — anywhere a rule comes from an EU directive.
It is not the same as the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (TEDH), which belongs to the Council of Europe. As a rule you cannot take a case to the TJUE yourself: the dispute goes through the courts in Portugal.
Official website: curia.europa.eu