The internationalisation of law and justice has been one of the major upheavals in the environement of national judges – and in particular supreme court judges – since the second half of the 20th century, creating new challenges: interpretation and application of international rules, articulation of these norms with domestic norms, growing importance of comparative law, and emergence of globalised litigation. In Europe, the addition of a supranational jurisdictional level composed of the two European courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, gives a particular resonance to the phenomenon.
As the highest court of the national judiciary system, the Court of cassation has a particular responsability to ensure the harmonious integration of the French legal system within this internationalised environment and to maintain its influence in a legal world that has become competitive.
Developing strategic lignes of action to structure its international action has thus become an imperative for the Court of cassation.
In a European context marked by growing tensions and repeated challenges to the rule of law and the democratic foundations of our societies, the strengthening of the dialogue between judges appears to be an imperative, contributing to the construction of a common judicial area based on the fundamental values and principles shared by the European countries.
This dialogue promotes a coordinated response to the common challenges faced by judges in Europe.
Because of the historical and cultural links between France and the countries of the Francophonie, the Court of cassation also maintains a high level of cooperation with the supreme courts of these States, whose legal systems have many features in common with the French model.
In keeping with its long tradition of openness, the Court of cassation is committed to developing its relations with the supreme courts of foreign States.
In this context, the international action of the Court of cassation has three objectives:
- to promote the fundamental values and principles of the French judicial system and contribute to the promotion of continental law and the French-speaking world;
- to disseminate and promote the case law and working methods of the Court of cassation;
- to encourage the exchange of best practices, to strengthen the expertise of the Court of cassation in international law and to develop comparative analysis tools in order to enrich the French legal system.
The international action of the Court of cassation is expressed both bilaterally, through the exchanges it maintains with other foreign supreme jurisdictions, and multilaterally through the participation of the Court of Cassation in various international and European judicial networks (Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union, Network of Superior Courts, Association of the High Courts of cassation of the countries sharing the use of French (AHJUCAF).
In the interests of accessibility and dissemination of its case law, the Court of cassation has undertaken to translate a selection of judgments into English each quarter.
The translated judgments are available on the website of the Court of cassation.
The international relations department, which is attached to the first presidency, is responsible for implementing the international activities of the Court of cassation.
The Cour de cassation's internationale Newsletter
Clémence Bourillon, Judge and Head of the International Relations Department, presents the International Newsletter
Download the Newsletter
The Cour de cassation's International Newsletter - January 2024
08/02/2024
Latest international news
Attendance of the Cour de Cassation at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the accession of ten Member States to the European Union organised by the CJEU
At the beginning of May 2024, First President Christophe Soulard, represented by President Potocki, and Prosecutor General Rémy Heitz took part in...
Europe
Solemn installation hearing of the new heads of the Belgian Court of Cassation
On 19 April 2024, First President Christophe Soulard was represented by Jean-Paul Jean, Honorary chamber President of the French Cour de cassation...
Belgique
Study visit from the Council of Europe's TJENI programme
On 5 April 2024, the Cour de cassation welcomed a delegation from the Council of Europe for the TJENI project " Foster Transparency of...
Conseil de l'Europe
Eighteen new judges from the Cour de cassation on a study visit to the CJEU
A delegation of judges from the Cour de cassation visited the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on 18 and 19 March 2024....
Europe
International conference in Riga
Illustrating the importance attached by the Cour de cassation to European legal dialogue, First President Christophe Soulard was represented by Hon...
Webinar with the Supreme Court of Japan on the challenges of digitalization in the judiciary
On 9 December 2021, the Court of cassation exchanged with the Supreme Court of Japan during a webinar dedicated to the challenges of the di...
Japon
Training of magistrates of the Cour de cassation (Court of cassation) at the Court of Justice of the European Union
On 18 and 19 October 2021, twenty magistrates of the Cour de cassation (Court of cassation) visited the Court of Justice of the Eu...
Latest translated rulings
The Cour de cassation launches its International Newsletter
With its International Newsletter, the Cour de cassation aims to open up to the world and raise awareness of the French judicial model....
- International
- Translated rulings
Freedom of religion: dismissal for wearing an Islamic headscarf, company’s image and discrimination
Translated rulings
Application of the Extradition Treaty between France and United States and conditions of detention under Article 3 of the ECHR: provisional arrest of a person pending a request for extradition
Extradition Treaty between France and United States : possibility for the prosecutor general to request in urgent cases the provisional arr...
- International
- Criminal law
- Translated rulings
Invocation of the state of necessity to justify an offence : breaking into a nuclear power plant to denounce the lack of protection of the nuclear power station’s pools and absence of current or imminent danger
- Environment
- Criminal law
- Translated rulings
Effective right of access to a court under Article 6§1 of ECHR and inadmissibility of the appeal lodged against the decisions of the director of the French national institute of industrial property
Effective right of access to a court under Article 6§1 of European Convention on Human Rights and inadmissibility of the appeal lodged agai...
- Economy
- Intellectual Property
- Translated rulings
Application of the new case law of the Court related to commercial agent status: refusal of the status in case of the impossibility of company modifying the conditions of contracts, and in particular the prices
- Economy
- Translated rulings