In 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union implemented the reform of the internal functioning of the EU institution through the partial transfer, from last October, of the Court’s preliminary ruling jurisdiction to the General Court of the EU in six specific matters (VAT, air passenger compensation, the ETS greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme, etc.), in accordance with Regulation 2024/2019 (see EUROPE 13309/19).
Although it is too early to draw reliable conclusions about the impact of the reform, “it is interesting to note” that, in the last three months of 2024, “eight references for preliminary rulings” out of the 19 lodged in the areas covered by the reform “came from the supreme courts of seven different Member States”, notes Vittorio Di Bucci, Registrar of the General Court, in the ‘2024 at a Glance’ issued by the Court of Justice.
Statistically, a total of 1,706 cases were filed: 786 cases were brought before the General Court, the lowest number in the last 10 years, and a further 920 cases were brought before the Court of Justice. As far as the General Court is concerned, six cases relate to the ‘DMA’ Regulation on digital markets and 63 others concern individual sanctions imposed by the EU.
As far as the Court of Justice is concerned, cases mainly concern competition, consumer and environmental protection and transport. The authors of the report note a sharp increase in the number of referrals made by the Italian courts: 98 cases, compared with 43 in 2023.
A total of 1,785 cases were settled last year: 922 by the General Court and 863 by the Court of Justice. A reduction in the number of cases pending before the General Court is therefore clearly underway, thanks in particular to the strengthening of the Court’s resources. The average time taken to process a case is around 18 months, whether at the General Court or the Court of Justice.
Lastly, 2,911 cases are still pending, including 1,302 before the General Court and 1,206 before the Court of Justice.
In organisational terms, 2024 saw a further substantial partial renewal of the membership of the Court of Justice, with the swearing-in of nine new members, five of whom were previously judges at the General Court.
For 2025, the Court of Justice is working on several projects: - the redesign of the EU institution’s website and case law search engine; - the launch of a web TV channel devoted to the Court’s activities; - continuing work on the potential uses of artificial intelligence; - the development of an integrated business management system.
These projects will meet the needs of legal professionals and contribute to “the fundamental objective of bringing justice closer to citizens”, notes its President, Koen Lenaerts, in the preface to the annual report.
The Court of Justice has 2,267 officials and other staff, 61% of whom are women. With 54% of administration posts held by women, such a situation “places the Court in the upper echelons of the European institutions”, Mr Lenaerts was pleased to say.
See the Court of Justice’s annual report: https://aeur.eu/f/gex (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)