Luxembourg, 13/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The composition of the European Court of Justice chambers has been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (C261). Until 7 October 2003 the following have been selected as chamber Presidents: Melchior Wathelet (first and fifth chamber), Jean-Pierre Puissochet (third and sixth chamber), Romain Schintgen (second chamber) and Christiaan Timmermans (fourth chamber). The composition of the chambers is as follows:
First chamber: Melchior Wathelet, Peter Jann and Allan Rosas. Second chamber: Romain Schintgen, Vassilios Skouris and Ninon Colneric. The first and second chambers still have three judges.
Third chamber: Jean Pierre Puissochet, Claus Gulmann, Fidelma Macken and José da Cunha Rodrigues. Fourth chambere: David Edward, Antonio La Pergola and Stig von Bahr. These two chambers have three sitting judges, but are composed of four judges which allows for a "rotating system".
Fifth chamber: Melchior Wathelet, Christiaan Timmermans, David Edward, Antonio La Pergola, Peter Jann, Stig von Bahr and Allen Rosas.
Sixth chamber: Jean-Pierre Puissochet, Romain Schintgen, Vasilios Skouris, Fidelma Macken, Ninon Colneric and José da Cunha Rodrigues. The fifth and sixth chambers have five sitting judges. They are composed of seven judges which also allows for the "rotating system".
Final year before big changes
Big changes will be happening on 7 October 2003. The mandate for ten magistrates (judges and Advocates-General) expires on this date. Their respective Member States are expected to renew their mandate and choose judges to replace them. This will involve the following judges and Advocates-General:
Gil Carlos Iglesias President of the Court (Spain) since 1994 and a sitting judge at the Court since 1986; Melchior Wathelet (Belgium), judge since 1995. Claus Gulmann (Denmark) and Romain Schintgen (Luxembourg) are also at the end of their mandate, as well as Allan Rosas who will be ending the mandate of judge Leif Sevon (nominated President of the Supreme Court in Finland) on 1 January 2002, Fidelma Macken, first ever woman to be nominated as a judge at the Court, will be ending the mandate of John Murray (who has been sitting at the High Court of Ireland since 1999) and Vassilios Skouris, who in the same year became the new State judge for Greece after the death of judge Ioannou.
Advocates-General are: Francis Jacobs (United Kingdom), an Advocate General since 1988 and Damaso Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer (Spain) selected in 1997 will see their mandates expire. It will also be the same case for the Advocate-General Jean Micho, who as we know has been in his post since 1997 and who will be replaced by a Portuguese Advocate-General (in accordance with the change of turn between the "small countries"). The last remaining Advocate-General at the end of his mandate is Siegbert Alber, who has been in his post since 1997.
2003-2004 will also be characterised by other changes: the Court will have to apply the new amendments in the Treaty of Nice as well as tackle the issue of re-organisation due to the accession of the new EU Member States.