Courts of the European Union
The EU has its own courts, but most EU law is applied by national courts. When a national court is unsure about EU law, it asks the Court of Justice for a ruling.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
EU courts (Court of Justice of the European Union)
National courts of the member states
Worth knowing
- The Court of Justice does not hear appeals against national court decisions. It answers questions of EU law, and the national court then decides the case.
- The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg belongs to the Council of Europe, not to the EU.
Compare European Union with another country →
Sources
Other systems
African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam
TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
