News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

ECJ rejects Govt's claim over asylum seeker obligations

The European Court of Justice has rejected the Government's claim that an influx of international protection applicants impacted its obligation to cover asylum seekers' basic needs.

Ireland • 01 Aug

The New York Times took Ursula von der Leyen to the European Court of Justice for allegedly breaching the EU's transparency rules

EU commission loses court case over Von der Leyen texts

The European Court of Justice has dismissed the European Commission's rejection of a New York Times' request to access text messages between its President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on the purchase of billions of euro of Covid-19 vaccines.

World • 14 May

Heated tobacco products heat tobacco and produces an aerosol or smoke which contains nicotine (stock pic)

EC within rights to ban flavoured HTPs - court

Irish tobacco company PJ Carroll has received an adverse opinion from the European Court of Justice regarding a legal challenge over heated tobacco products.

Ireland • 31 Jan

Carles Puigdemont refused to take an oath pledging to respect the Spanish constitution

ECJ dismisses action by two Catalan MEPs over exclusion

The European Court of Justice has dismissed an action taken by two leading Catalan separatist MEPs against their exclusion from the European Parliament in 2019.

Europe • 26 Sep 24

Airbnb is one of the tech firms to win the backing of Europe's top court in their fight against an Italian rule requiring them to provide information on themselves

Google, Amazon, Airbnb win EU court backing in Italy row

Alphabet's Google, Amazon and Airbnb have today won the backing of Europe's top court in their fight against an Italian rule requiring them to provide information on themselves.

Business • 30 May 24

The case concerns two German passengers who took action against Ryanair and another flight operator in the German courts

Alternative flight bookers won't get compensation - ECJ

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that passengers who book an alternative flight, because an airline had informed them in advance that their original flight would be delayed, are not entitled to compensation under EU passenger rights rules.

Business • 25 Jan 24

The European Court of Justice has scrapped an EU order to Amazon to pay €250m in back taxes to Luxembourg

EU top court rejects €250m EU tax order to Amazon

Europe's top court has today scrapped an EU order to Amazon to pay €250m in back taxes to Luxembourg, part of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown against sweetheart deals between multinationals and EU countries.

Business • 14 Dec 23

The European Court of Justice today said there will be an opinion by the Advocate General on the Apple case on November 9

Opinion due on Commission appeal over Apple tax case

The European Court of Justice has confirmed there will be an opinion by the Advocate General on the Apple case on 9 November.

Business • 25 Oct 23

Ryanair has a mixed record on Covid-19 state aid cases, winning some of its challenges and losing others

Ryanair loses EU court appeal over state aid to SAS

Ryanair has lost its appeal against Danish and Swedish state aid to pandemic-hit SAS airline, which was approved by EU competition authorities, in one of a spate of challenges by the low-cost carrier against such subsidies.

Business • 28 Sep 23

The Advocate General's opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice

Ireland wrong over disability allowance decision - EU

The Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice has found that Ireland was wrong to refuse a Romanian woman's claim for disability allowance.

Europe • 16 Feb 23

Airbnb had argued that the requirement contravened the principle of the freedom to provide services

Airbnb plea on information for tax authorities rejected

The European Court of Justice has today rejected a case brought by accommodation services company Airbnb Ireland against Belgian regional legislation requiring it to provide information to tax authorities on tourist transactions.

Business • 27 Apr 22

Polish president Andrzej Duda and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in 2018

EU court dismisses Polish and Hungarian challenge

The European Union's top court has dismissed a Polish and Hungarian challenge to a new law that would allow the EU to cut funds to member countries that violate democratic rights and freedoms.

World • 16 Feb 22

Advocate General recommends Ireland win Fiat tax appeal

Italian carmaker Fiat Chrysler need not pay €30 million in back taxes to Luxembourg, an adviser to Europe's top court said today.

Business • 16 Dec 21

The delivery of Irish Ferries' WB Yeats vessel was delayed in the summer of 2018

Irish Ferries liable to pay compensation to customers

Irish Ferries is liable to pay compensation to potentially thousands of passengers whose sailings between Ireland and France were cancelled in the summer of 2018 due to the late delivery of a new vessel, according to a finding by Europe's highest court.

Business • 02 Sep 21

Opinion issued by ECJ relating to Dutch-Croation woman living in Northern Ireland

ECJ issues opinion in indirect discrimination case

The European Court of Justice has issued an opinion that the UK is guilty of indirect discrimination on the grounds of nationality if it refuses social assistance to an EU citizen who has been granted settled status under the post-Brexit EU Settlement Scheme.

Ireland • 24 Jun 21

Tesco found itself in the spotlight after about 6,000 current or former employees took their grievance to an employment tribunal in Watford

EU court backs Tesco workers in equal pay dispute

Thousands of current and former employees of UK supermarket group Tesco today won the support of Europe's top court in their fight for equal pay in a judgment that could affect other retailers.

Business • 03 Jun 21

A full ruling from the European Court of Justice is expected in the coming weeks

Court finds Polish judicial reforms go against EU law

A contested reform in Poland concerning disciplinary cases involving judges goes against European Union law, the advocate general of the European Court of Justice said on Thursday.

World • 06 May 21

The ECJ ruled today that financial support for SAS after pandemic-related travel restrictions was permitted under EU state aid rules

Ryanair challenges against SAS and Finnair aid rejected

Ryanair has had its complaint over Covid-related government support by Sweden and Denmark for the SAS airline overturned by the European Court of Justice.

Business • 14 Apr 21

The opinion of the Advocate General is not binding and judges of the Court are now beginning deliberations in this case, with judgment to be given at a later date

ECJ considers allowing GDPR complaints in any EU state

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice has issued an opinion that a privacy complaint against the US tech giant Facebook does not only have to be taken to the Irish data protection commissioner but instead can be handled by any of the national data protection authorities in the EU.

Business • 13 Jan 21

Nick Clegg said that data was no longer just an issue for technology companies, but vital to businesses in every sector

Clarity needed on EU-US data transfers - Facebook

Companies need clarity on what they can do with EU-US data transfers in light of the European Court of Justice's decision to strike down previous arrangements, Facebook's head of global affairs has said.

Business • 21 Oct 20

Margrethe Vestager said companies worked hard to turn a profit and they paid taxes on that - but this should apply to all firms rather than most

All firms must pay fair share of tax - Vestager

The European Commissioner responsible for competition has said it is very important to make sure all businesses pay their fair share of tax, so the public purse and European citizens are not deprived of much needed funds for investment.

Business • 02 Oct 20

The European Court of Justice will decide whether EU citizens are given enough protection when their data is sent to the US by Facebook and other firms

The Facebook data privacy case - all you need to know

Tomorrow morning the European Court of Justice will announce its ruling on a long-running dispute around the protections given to our online data. The case specifically relates to Facebook, but the outcome could have repercussions for most major tech firms.

Business • 15 Jul 20

The highly unusual intervention came after the German ruling issued particularly harsh criticism of European court judges

EU court says it 'alone' has jurisdiction over ECB

The EU's highest court has said it alone had legal authority over the European Central Bank, firmly rejecting a German Constitutional Court ruling critical of the bank's ambitious stimulus policies.

European Central Bank • 08 May 20

Ireland has appealed against an EU Commission finding on Ireland providing illegal state aid to Apple

Ireland appeals ECJ state aid ruling against Luxembourg

The Department of Finance says it has lodged an appeal at the European Court of Justice against a State aid ruling made against Luxembourg by the EU's General Court last year because of its relevance to the European Commission's ruling against Ireland for its tax treatment of Apple.

Business • 20 Feb 20

Court said that labelling products as from the "State of Israel" when in fact they come from "territories... occupied by that State" could mislead consumers

Israeli settlement goods must be labelled as such - ECJ

Food products from Israeli-occupied territories must be clearly labelled as such to avoid misleading consumers, the EU's top court has ruled, in particular if they come from settlements there.

World • 12 Nov 19