CJEU

Sport has always played a key role in international relations. Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) specifies that the European Union contributes to developing the European dimension in sport. However, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has recalled in the past that sport must not hinder the application of the competition rules set forth in Article 101 (cartels and other agreements that disrupt free competition) and Article 102 (abuse of dominant position) of the TFEU.

The three judgments issued by the CJEU on December 21, 2023 have generated as much discussion as the “Bosman” judgment in 1995 which prohibited the imposition of quotas on foreign players in European soccer.

This article discusses the most notable of the three judgments, i.e., the so-called “Super League” judgment.

In a judgment handed down on November 22, 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union, sitting as the Grand Chamber, held that, in the light of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the provision of the so-called anti-money laundering Directive whereby Member States must ensure that the information on the beneficial owners of corporate and other legal entities incorporated within their territory is accessible in all cases to any member of the general public is invalid.

While the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (“TTIP”, also known as the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement or “TAFTA” ) has been abandoned, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), in an opinion dated April 30, 2019, ruled on the compatibility with EU law of the mechanism for the settlement of disputes provided for under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA”) entered into between Canada and the European Union .