Article 267 reference

European Union

Formerly known as a reference under Article 177 of the Treaty of Rome or Article 234 of the EC Treaty.

A procedure under Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) whereby national courts, in the course of proceedings before them, can put questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) either on the interpretation of relevant parts of the TFEU or relevant secondary legislation or on the constitutionality of relevant secondary legislation. The purpose is to try to ensure a uniform application of EU law throughout the European Union. The ECJ is always careful to avoid expressing a view on how its ruling should be applied in the context of the national proceedings.

For further details, see Practice note, Seeking a reference to the ECJ.