ABSTRACT
The Court of Justice of the European Union (see Box 7.1) serves two main functions: (1) to oversee the lawful interpretation of the EU treaties; and (2) to provide effective legal protection in the fields covered by EU law (Article 19, Treaty on the European Union [TEU]). It is the last and final arbiter on the interpretation of EU law and its judgments create precedents in all 27 member states. In environmental law, the judgments contributed to making EU legislation and legal principles more precise and to ensuring uniform application of these provisions.
