…despite the difficulties that everyone has faced in their personal and professional lives, I am proud to see that the resilience and determination shown by all members of staff have allowed the Court of Justice and the General Court to continue to deal with cases efficiently and guarantee the quality of their decisions, in the interests of litigants.
In Europe, as in the rest of the world, the past year has been deeply marked by the Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted our private and social lives, as well as our working habits. Thanks to crisis plans previously put in place by the Court, together with the remarkable resilience and commitment on the part of the Institution’s Members and staff, this unforeseen situation has been managed effectively.
The deployment, in record time, of innovative technological solutions ensured the normal functioning – as far as possible – of the courts and allowed European justice to continue to be served.
Appropriate measures have been taken by the Institution to protect its staff, prevent the spread of the virus within its buildings, and maintain close-to-normal working conditions. Following the forced suspension of hearings from mid-March to late May, the Institution was able to guarantee the resumption of proceedings, whilst ensuring that all involved were protected.
The statistics for the year are a reflection of the very limited consequences of the health crisis. Owing to the downturn in the activity of national courts during the first few months of the pandemic, the number of cases brought did not match the record set in 2019, but is close to that for 2018 and 2017. The number of cases completed is only slightly lower, mainly due to the various measures put in place to compensate for the fact that it was not possible to hold hearings for over two months, as well as the travel restrictions imposed since hearings resumed. It is also worth noting that, in spite of the critical context in 2020, the level of activity of both courts was similar to that seen in 2017 and higher than in 2016.
Fundamentally, the most significant case-law of the year, set out in this Review, is bursting with important judgments, in particular in the field of fundamental freedoms and the very principles of the rule of law. Those judgments are a testament to the key role played by the EU Courts within the European institutional system, in respect of both economic actors and citizens.
Another emotional event marked 2020: the effective withdrawal, at midnight on 31 January, of the United Kingdom from the European Union, bringing an end to a destiny shared for over 47 years. For the Institution, Brexit led to the departure of its British Members, although it did not affect the situation of British staff members in post.
Taking stock of 2020, and despite the difficulties that everyone has faced in their personal and professional lives, I am proud to see that the resilience and determination shown by all members of staff have allowed the Court of Justice and the General Court to continue to deal with cases efficiently and guarantee the quality of their decisions, in the interests of litigants. The measures and developments put in place to achieve that result serve as both lessons and assets on which the Institution can rely in future, in line with its objective of constant improvement in the public service of European justice.
