The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), founded in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, gave way to the European Union. Having started as a common market, it has evolved into an economic and monetary union, with the vocation for becoming a growing political union. It is currently based on the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Charter).

Few areas of national law remain immune to the influence of European Union Law. In fact, through the adoption of a number of binding or merely guiding legal acts, the actions of the institutions of the European Union influence ever-wider aspects of the daily lives of individuals and businesses. The scope of European Union Law is even broader if we consider the increasingly important role that the European Union plays on the international scene.

Binding rules of European Union Law take precedence over conflicting national rules (primacy principle), and, in a large number of situations, they may be relied upon directly before the national administration and courts, by individuals and undertakings, to defend their rights (principle of direct effect).

Cruz Vilaça Advogados is actively engaged in the process of building the European Union. Our lawyers have unparalleled knowledge and experience in the Portuguese market regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the set of principles and rules that form European Union Law.