On the 24th of March 2025, the University of Central Lancashire in Cyprus (UCLan Cyprus) organised a virtual visit to the Court of Justice of the EU for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme.

The virtual visit started with a warm welcome by our guide Mrs Miriam Karg who explained how the day would unfold. As part of the visit the students who participated had the chance to discuss and exchange ideas with several Judges of the General Court and the Court of Justice, Advocate Generals and Legal Secretaries of the Court (Référendaires).

More specifically, the students met with Judge Mr. William Valasidis, Judge of the General Court, and asked questions in relation to the functioning of the General Court and its newly acquired role in taking up preliminary rulings according to Article 267 TFEU. Moreover, the students also met with Judge Mr. Savvas Papasavvas, Vice-President of the General Court, and discussed around the role of the Vice-President and the several tasks and responsibilities that they are entrusted with. The students asked questions concerning the potential challenges on deciding cases that hold political importance, such as Judicial Review (Article 263 TFEU) challenges from individual, challenging the validity of Decisions imposing individual sanctions.

The students also met with representatives and référendaires from the cabinets of Mr A. Rantos, Advocate General of the CJEU, Mr I. Dimitrakopoulos, Judge at the General Court and Mr D. Gratsias, President of Chamber, Court. Insights were provided around the role and involvement of référendaires in the making of decision and giving of judgements, as the unseen actors. Students also asked more specific questions concerning the extent to which the Judges follow the Opinions of the Advocate Generals and the judicial hierarchy/structure of the Court of Justice of the EU.

The virtual visit ended with a Presentation on multilingualism and on the work of a lawyer-linguist in the Court of Justice of the EU. Students were interested in understanding the system of translations and interpretations within the Court as well as the potential impact translations in 24 different languages could have on the meaning and interpretation of legal texts.

The virtual visit was an incredible opportunity for students to gain first-hand insight into the workings of the Court of Justice of the EU. Engaging directly with esteemed Judges, Advocate Generals, and référendaires provided an invaluable educational experience, deepening their understanding on EU law. The visit also inspired them to explore future career paths within the EU legal system.

We would like to thank the students for their interest and active participation.