23/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Court of Justice welcomes a reduction in the duration of legal proceedings in 2006 despite a 13% rise in the number of cases lodged. The average duration of proceedings for references for a preliminary ruling now stands at 19.8 months, direct actions 20 months and appeals 17.8 months. Not counting the 117 cases transferred to the Civil Service Tribunal in 2005, the Court of First Instance has seen a marked increase in the number of cases lodged, from...