Established by the Treaty of Paris on 18 April 1951, the Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) quickly asserted itself through its case law as an essential, dynamic and binding source of the law of the European Communities. To secure this legitimacy, beyond procedural and administrative considerations, the Court was required to affirm a clear institutional identity imbued with solemnity. The symbolism of the ECSC Court’s seal forms part of this process of construction.
Under the impetus of the Italian judge Massimo Pilotti, its first President (1952-1958), the Court adopted a seal based on a set of visual and allegorical references traditionally associated with the idea of justice as it had historically developed in Western Europe. This choice, left to the President’s discretion, sought to place the institution within a legal and historical continuity that was immediately recognisable, without ostentation or aggressiveness.
A codified iconography of symbols
The seal is composed of four major attributes, topoi that are all drawn from the Roman tradition:
• The balance, a symbol of equity and impartiality;
• The sword, representing the authority of judicial decisions and the normative force of judgment;
• The book, whether understood as the code of law, the judicial ruling itself, or as a Judeo-Christian reference to the Book of the Law;
• The crown of oak leaves, an emblem of stability, permanence, and institutional dignity.
Arranged in a balanced composition, these motifs contribute to the visual semiotics of judicial power: they enable the Court to be identified as an instance of justice that is solemn and sovereign within its field of competence. The seal is not limited to a decorative function; it confers upon judgments a formal and symbolic authority, perceptible both to the Member States and to litigants. This symbolic construction forms part of a process of institutional legitimation, since the use of ancient symbols seeks less to reflect an effective tradition than to produce an imagined continuity capable of guaranteeing the institution’s credibility.
The Latin legend of the seal
The question of the language used on the seal was equally symbolic. In a multilingual Europe, Latin imposed itself as a neutral and unifying solution. As a renowned Italian jurist, President Pilotti argued in favour of the judicious choice of a Latin inscription, drawing on the Roman-law formality of the word Curia, which was immediately accepted and registered as the institution’s telegraphic address.
However, it was necessary to go beyond the simple term Curia, and the Latin translation of “Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Community” gave rise to some arduous discussions among the members of the Court. As a competent Latinist, Massimo Pilotti prevailed with the legend CVRIA EVROPÆA CARBONIS FERRIQVE COMMVNITAS. This inscription can therefore be found engraved on the leather bindings, as well as on the pendant seal affixed to and appended to the Court’s judgments, though only until February 1959. Following the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), the Court of Justice of the ECSC was renamed the Court of Justice of the European Communities (CJEC), becoming the common judicial body of the ECSC, the EEC and Euratom. This also led to the adoption, from March 1959 onwards, of a new Latin translation of the Court’s designation, using the plural genitive: CVRIA COMMVNITATVM EVROPÆARVM.
↘ Slide to compare the first seal (HAEU, CJUE 3, 10/02/1955) and the second seal of the Court (HAEU, CJUE 102, 27/03/1963).
Shorter and less burdened by complexity, this legend nonetheless left more space for the oak wreath, which in turn allowed the word Curia to occupy a central place in the iconographic programme. Curia thus became something akin to the emblematic sign of the European Community’s judicial institution, enabling it to maintain a certain uniformity despite the successive renaming's brought about by later treaties. Behind this single five-letter word, inscribed in a so-called “dead” language, the Court constructed an identity that remains relevant to this day, notably under its current name. Indeed, following the Treaty of Lisbon establishing the European Union, the judicial body adopted its present designation: the Court of Justice of the European Union. This final change of name, which took effect on 1 December 2009, made it apparent that the solution adopted for the seal of the “new” Court of Justice consisted precisely of the single word Curia, accompanied by the same four symbols. In the meantime, Curia had truly become the unique identity marker of the CJEU: self-sufficient, it no longer required any additional reference to its link with the European Communities. Its identity as a judicial institution was clear and intelligible to all.
Beyond the heritage of Roman law, the Court of Justice also adopted other strong practices and symbols drawn from national and international judicial institutions. Thus, regarding the dress code of the members of the Court – judges and Advocates General alike – the European tradition of wearing a gown was followed. Their design was influenced by several factors, such as the choice of the burgundy colour used for the gowns of the members of the Bundesgerichtshof in Karlsruhe. It was the German judge Otto Riese, formerly of that court, who advocated for this wine-red-coloured gown with which he was familiar. As for the cut of the gowns, it was designed identically to that of the judges of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and the first gowns were in fact made by the tailor of that same court. Also originating from the ICJ, Judge Adrianus Van Kleffens argued in favour of drawing inspiration from the cut of the gowns worn by judges of that high international jurisdiction.
This clearly situates the European Court of Justice within the lineage of its international judicial counterparts, reflecting a form of mimetic behaviour characterised in organisational sociology as “institutional isomorphism”. By conforming to normative expectations already perceived as legitimate in international law, the CJEU signalled its membership of a community of recognised practices. This enabled it to acquire institutional recognition by association, while the marker provided by the word Curia ensured an authentic and unique identity.
Thus, through its seal, its symbols, its language and its rituals, the Court of Justice has built a formal legitimacy. This visual identity, grounded in ancient references, presents a form of European justice that is both modern and deeply rooted in a long-standing tradition. From this perspective, the Court’s symbolic programme may be understood as a formalised mechanism of legitimation, in which visual and ritual codification constitutes a condition of authenticity and recognition. By invoking a European tradition of representing justice, the Court inscribes its acts within a constructed documentary continuity that functions as a guarantee of validity. This institutional ethos shapes the reception, effectiveness and interpretation of content that form alone does not merely reflect.
Sealed Mission
The administrative seal of the EURATOM Commission : archives of an authority in the making
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