A | The year in pictures
4 JANUARY
Proceedings brought before the Court of Justice in Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich
The Court of Justice must rule on whether the Polish authorities may refuse to transcribe the birth certificate of a child born in Spain, issued by the Spanish authorities, indicating two women as mothers of that child (C‑2/21).
8 JANUARY
Proceedings brought before the Court of Justice in Sea Watch
The Court of Justice must determine whether port authorities may exercise their powers against a vessel certified as a cargo vessel but that, in practice, carries out operations to rescue persons in distress or danger at sea involving migrants (C‑14/21 and C‑15/21).
26 JANUARY
Judgment in VL v Szpital Kliniczny
The payment of an allowance only to workers with disabilities who have submitted their disability certificates after a date chosen by the employer may constitute direct or indirect discrimination based on disability (C‑16/19).
3 FEBRUARY
Judgment in Commission v Hungary
Hungary failed to fulfil its obligations to ensure compliance, throughout its territory, with the daily limit value for concentrations of particulate matter PM10 and to ensure that the period of exceedance of the limit values was kept as short as possible (C‑637/18).
1 MARCH
New judge takes office at the General Court
A formal sitting takes place on the occasion of the taking of the oath and entry into office of David Petrlík (Czech Republic) as a judge at the General Court.
8 MARCH
Proceedings brought before the Court of Justice in CIHEF and Others
The Court must rule on whether a Member State may adopt, in the interests of public health and the environment, restrictive rules relating to commercial practices and advertising for biocidal products (C‑147/21).
11 MARCH
Action brought in Hungary and Poland v Parliament and Council against the regime of conditionality
Hungary and Poland are requesting the annulment of the regulation creating a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget in the case of a breach of the principles of the rule of law in the Member States (C‑156/21 and C‑157/21).
17 MARCH
First judgment with Irish as the language of the case
On Saint Patrick’s Day, the day celebrating the patron saint of Ireland, the Court of Justice delivers its first judgment in a case in which the language of the case is Irish.
Pursuant to an EU directive, the information on veterinary medicinal products must appear in both official languages of Ireland. It is for the national court to make a declaration that that Member State has not correctly transposed that directive and is required to take remedial steps in that regard (C‑64/20).
24 MARCH
Judgment in Lego
The General Court finds that the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) should not have declared the Community design of a brick of a Lego toy building set invalid (T‑515/19).
9 APRIL
Action brought before the General Court in Firearms United Network
A Polish association of gun owners seeks the annulment of the regulation prohibiting the use of lead shot. The group believes that this text infringes the freedom to pursue an economic activity and the freedom to hunt (T‑187/21).
20 APRIL
Judgment in Repubblika v Il-Prim Ministru
Maltese provisions which confer on the Prime Minister a decisive power in the appointment of members of the judiciary, while providing for the involvement of an independent body responsible for assessing candidates and providing an opinion, are not contrary to EU law (C‑896/19).
4 MAY
Action for failure to fulfil obligations brought before the Court of Justice in Commission v France (PM10)
The Commission asks the Court of Justice to establish that France has failed to fulfil its obligations in relation to air quality, by systematically and persistently exceeding the daily limit value for fine particulate matter (PM10) in the Paris and Martinique/Fort-de-France zones (C‑286/21).
9 MAY
Europe Day 2021
To enable European citizens to be better informed about their rights and how the European justice system operates, the Court invites them to view videos about its role and case-law, to ask questions via Twitter and LinkedIn and to take a virtual tour of its buildings.
3 JUNE
Judgment in Hungary v Parliament
The Court of Justice dismisses Hungary's action against the Parliament resolution triggering the procedure for determining the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach, by that Member State, of the values on which the European Union is founded (C‑650/18).
22 JUNE
Action brought before the General Court in Syndesmos Tyrokomon Kyprou and Others v Commission
Cheese and cow milk producers ask the General Court to annul the Commission Regulation entering the name Χαλλούμι (Halloumi) in the register of protected designations of origin (PDO) (T‑361/21).
24 JUNE
Award for Good Administration
The European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, awards the Court of Justice the 2021 Award for Good Administration in the category ‘Excellence in Innovation/Transformation’, for the ‘Remote Hearings’ project.
24 JUNE
Judgment in Commission v Spain
Spain should have taken into account the unlawful abstraction of groundwater and the abstraction of water for urban supply in the estimation of groundwater abstraction in the Doñana region (Spain), the largest wetland in Europe (C‑559/19).
4-5 JULY
Sechser-Treffen in Vienna
A delegation from the Court travels to Vienna to take part in the ‘Sechser-Treffen’, a meeting held every two years that brings together representatives of the German- language constitutional courts of Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights.
6 JULY
New judge takes office at the General Court
A formal sitting takes place on the occasion of the taking of the oath and entry into office of Maja Brkan (Slovenia) as a judge at the General Court.
15 JULY
Judgment in cases WABE and MH Müller Handel
A rule prohibiting workers from wearing any visible sign of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image vis- à-vis customers or to prevent social conflicts (C‑804/18 and C‑341/19).
20 JULY
Proceedings brought before the Court of Justice in Schrems v Facebook
Mr Schrems argues that his consent to the terms of use of the Facebook platform do not comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and asks Facebook to cease processing his data for the purposes of personalised advertising and to cease using those data for visits to third-party websites (C‑446/21).
1 AUGUST
Death of Mr Barna Berke
Death of Barna Berke (Hungary), judge at the General Court since 19 September 2016.
31 AUGUST
Request for a preliminary ruling lodged in Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb
The Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice, Germany) asks whether the selling price for goods sold in bottles or jars which are returnable against a deposit must include the deposit payable by the consumer (C‑543/21).
2-3 SEPTEMBER
EUnited in diversity: between common constitutional traditions and national identities – Conference in Riga
A conference is held, in Riga (Latvia), bringing together, for the first time, the judges of the national constitutional courts and Members of the Court of Justice seeking a common approach to reconciling the imperative of European unity with the reality of constitutional traditions and national identities.
2 SEPTEMBER
Judgment in X v Belgian State (right of residence in the case of domestic violence)
A third-country national who has been the victim of acts of domestic violence committed by his or her spouse, who is a Union citizen, is not in a comparable situation to a third- country national who has been the victim of acts of domestic violence committed by his or her spouse, who is also a third- country national (C‑930/19).
9 SEPTEMBER
Judgment in Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne
Protected designations of origin (PDO) are protected in respect of prohibited conduct relating to both products and services (C‑783/19).
20 SEPTEMBER
Order of the Vice-President of the Court of Justice in Czech Republic v Republic of Poland
In view of the fact that it has not ceased lignite mining activities at the Turów mine, Poland is ordered to pay the European Commission a penalty payment of EUR 500 000 per day (C‑121/21 R).
27 SEPTEMBER
New judge takes office at the General Court
A formal sitting takes place on the occasion of the taking of the oath and entry into office of Pēteris Zilgalvis (Latvia) as a judge at the General Court.
6 OCTOBER
Judgment in A (Crossing of borders in a pleasure boat)
A Member State may require its nationals, on pain of sanctions, to carry a valid identity card or passport when travelling to another Member State irrespective of the means of transport used and the route taken (C‑35/20).
6 OCTOBER
Opinion on the Istanbul Convention
The Council may await, without being obliged to do so, the common accord of all Member States to be bound by the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Avis 1/19).
7 OCTOBER
Partial renewal of the Members of the Court of Justice
Formal sitting on the occasion of the partial renewal of the Members of the Court of Justice. The following take office as judges: Dimitrios Gratsias (Greece), Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún (Spain), Miroslav Gavalec (Slovakia), Zoltán Csehi (Hungary), and Octavia Spineanu-Matei (Romania). The following take office as advocates general: Anthony Michael Collins (Ireland), Nicholas Emiliou (Cyprus), Tamara Ćapeta (Croatia) and Laila Medina (Latvia).
8 OCTOBER
Re-election of the President and election of the Vice- President of the Court of Justice
Koen Lenaerts (Belgium) is re-elected President of the Court of Justice by his peers for a term of office of three years.
Lars Bay Larsen (Denmark) is elected Vice-President, also for a term of office of three years.
8 OCTOBER
Re-election of the First Advocate General of the Court of Justice
Maciej Szpunar (Poland) is re-elected by his peers First Advocate General of the Court of Justice for a term of office of three years.
8 OCTOBER
Election of the Presidents of the Chambers of five Judges
The following Presidents of the Chambers of five Judges of the Court of Justice are elected for a term of office of three years: Alexander Arabadjiev (Bulgaria), Alexandra Prechal (Netherlands), Küllike Jürimäe (Estonia), Constantinos Lycourgos (Cyprus) and Eugene Regan (Ireland).
11 OCTOBER
Election of the Presidents of the Chambers of three Judges of the Court of Justice
The following Presidents of the Chambers of three Judges are elected for a term of office of one year: Siniša Rodin (Croatia), Irmantas Jarukaitis (Lithuania), Niilo Jääskinen (Finland), Ineta Ziemele (Latvia) and Jan Passer (Czech Republic).
25 OCTOBER
European Day of Justice 2021
The Court of Justice is active on Twitter and LinkedIn to mark this day, which is designed to give European citizens a better understanding of their rights and to provide them with more information about how the judicial systems work.
27 OCTOBER
New judges take office at the General Court
A formal sitting takes place on the occasion of the taking of the oath and entry into office of Krisztián Kecsmár (Hungary) and Ion Gâlea (Romania) as judges at the General Court.
8 NOVEMBER
Meeting with the CCBE
A delegation from the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) meets Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court. The purpose of this meeting is to exchange views on the consequences of the procedural measures adopted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and on the efforts made by the courts to guarantee the continuity of justice.
10 NOVEMBER
Judgment in Google and Alphabet v Commission (Google Shopping)
The General Court dismisses the action brought by Google against the Commission’s decision sanctioning the undertaking for an abuse of dominant position and confirms the fine of EUR 2.42 billion. The undertaking had promoted its own comparison shopping service over those of competitors (T‑612/17).
15 NOVEMBER
Bilateral seminar of the Court of Justice and the French Council of State
During this seminar, three round tables are held on the following themes: ‘Preliminary rulings: recent developments’, ‘The role of national courts in establishing failures to implement a directive and in imposing sanctions as a result’, and ‘Environmental law’.
16 NOVEMBER
Judgment in Governor of Cloverhill Prison and Others
The provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement concerning the European arrest warrant regime with respect to the United Kingdom and the provision in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and that third country concerning the new surrender mechanism are binding on Ireland (C‑479/21-PPU).
22-23 NOVEMBER
Meeting of Judges – 2021
During this annual event, 136 national judges from the 27 Member States and the Members of the Court exchange views on current case-law and mechanisms for cooperation between the Court of Justice and national courts.
27 NOVEMBER
Visit from a delegation from the European Court of Human Rights
Three round tables are held on the following themes: ‘The principle of non-discrimination – methodology and application’, ‘The detention of asylum seekers’ and ‘The expulsion of Third-Country nationals and the right to family life’.
9 DECEMBER
Two new Members of the European Court of Auditors sworn in before the Court of Justice
Helga Berger (Austria) and Marek Opioła (Poland), appointed Members of the European Court of Auditors by the Council of the European Union, give the solemn undertaking required by the Treaties during a formal sitting.
21 DECEMBER
Renewal of the term of office of the Registrar of the Court of Justice
The term of office of Alfredo Calot Escobar (Spain), Registrar of the Court of Justice since 7 October 2010, is renewed for a new term of six years, ending on 6 October 2028.
B | The year in figures
As in 2020, the judicial activities of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2021 were affected by the health crisis. Thanks to the measures put in place at the beginning of the crisis, the courts were able to fulfil their mission and to ensure the continuity of public service in the provision of European justice. Use of videoconferencing with simultaneous interpretation enabled the parties’ representatives to conduct their cases from a distance and made it possible for the Court to maintain its considerable judicial workload in 2021.
The year was marked by a new upward trend in the number of cases brought before both courts, after the temporary decline in 2020, and the number of cases closed reflected a comparable trend.
The increase in the number of cases brought before the two courts, to 1 720 (compared to 1 582 in 2020), is significant. This increase concerns primarily the Court of Justice and is due essentially to the significant increase in the number of appeals brought against the decisions of the General Court linked to the increase in that court’s activity.
With a total of 1 723 cases closed (compared to 1 540 in 2020) for both courts, the Court of Justice achieved a result close to the figure for the previous year, while the number of cases closed by the General Court, which is particularly significant, is the result of the reform of the institutional architecture of the Union, completed in September 2019.
The average duration of proceedings (17.2 months), which is longer than in 2020 (15.4 months), can be explained for the most part by the steps taken to mitigate the effects of the health crisis, including granting the parties an additional month to submit their written submissions.
This parallel growth in the overall number of cases brought and closed in 2021 also explains why the number of cases pending before the two courts remains stable: 2 541 (compared to 2 542 in 2020).
The Institution in 2021
81 Judges
11 Advocates General
from the 27 Member States
2 247 officials and other staff
60% 40% 1 355 women 892 men
2021 BUDGET 444 million euros
The representation of women in positions of responsibility within the administration means that the Court exceeds the average for the European institutions.
Women hold 54% of administration posts 40% of middle and senior management posts
The judicial year (Court of Justice and General Court)
1 720 Cases brought
1 723 Cases resolved
2 541 Pending cases
Procedural documents entered in the registers of the Registries 173 167
Average duration of proceedings 17.2 months
16.6 months Court of Justice
17.3 months General Court
Percentage of procedural documents lodged via e-Curia
85% Court of Justice
93% General Court
8 378 Number of e-Curia accounts (an increase of 13.5% compared to 2020)
2 809 judicial notices published in the Official Journal of the European Union
e-Curia is an application of the Court of Justice of the European Union enabling the representatives of the parties in cases brought before the Court of Justice and the General Court and national courts, in the context of requests for a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice, to send and receive procedural documents to and from the Registries purely by electronic means.
e-Curia: the computer application that allows the exchange of judicial documents
see the video on YouTube
The linguistic services
As a multilingual judicial institution, the Court must be able to deal with a case irrespective of the official language of the European Union in which it has been brought. It then ensures that its case-law is disseminated in all those languages.
24 potential languages of the case
552 possible language combinations
616 lawyer-linguists to translate written documents
Workload: 1 337 000 pages to be translated
1 257 000M/b> pages produced by the legal translation service
Economy measures adopted by the Courts to reduce translation requirements by 668 000 pages pages
71 Interpreters for hearings and meetings
423 Hearings and meetings with simultaneous interpretation