A | The year in pictures
January
Assignment of a fictitious name to anonymised cases
Anonymised references for a preliminary ruling are assigned a fictitious name using a computerised automatic name generator. The goal of this initiative is to bolster the protection of personal data whilst making it easier to identify cases.
January
Solemn undertaking by six new Members of the European Court of Auditors
Appointed by the Council of the European Union, the new Members of the European Court of Auditors, Mr Jorg Kristijan Petrovic, Mr Stef Blok, Mr George Marius Hyzler, Mr Lefteris Christoforou, Ms Laima Liucija Andrikiene and Ms Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, give the solemn undertaking before the Court of Justice.
February
Visit to Riga by a delegation from the Court
A delegation composed of the Latvian Judges of the Court of Justice and the General Court, respectively Ms Ineta Ziemele and Ms Inga Reine, and members of the Court’s senior management, travel to Riga (Latvia) as part of a working visit to strengthen communication, cooperation and the exchange of information between the Latvian institutions and the Court.
April
Amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the General Court
In order to promote a modern and efficient system of justice, the General Court amends its Rules of Procedure. The purpose of these changes is to clarify and simplify judicial procedures, including the possibility of using videoconferencing for hearings, the electronic signature of decisions and the designation of pilot cases.
April
Presentation of a fresco from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples
Vittoria alata, a fresco from Pompeii, is loaned by the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) to be exhibited at the Court. A symbol of peace and prosperity dating back to the 1st century AD, this fresco illustrates the connection between art and the judiciary.
April
Conference organised to mark the departure from office of Mr Emmanuel Coulon, Registrar of the General Court
To mark the departure from office of Mr Emmanuel Coulon, Registrar of the General Court from 2005 to 2023, a conference entitled ‘Procedural law considerations’ is held in the General Court’s Main Courtroom.
May
Final of the ‘European Law Moot Court’ competition
First organised in 1988, the European Law Moot Court is the world’s top moot competition in the field of EU law. The University of Turin (Italy) is the winning team of the 2023 edition.
May
Europe Day
To mark the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the Court opens its doors to citizens to help them to learn more about its activities. Through guided tours, offered for the first time in a virtual format too, citizens learn about the role and the functioning of the two courts, the life of a case and the Institution’s services.
May
Inauguration of the Garden of Multilingualism
The Garden of Multilingualism, located on the Institution’s forecourt extension, is inaugurated on Europe Day. This new green space with extensive plant varieties celebrates unity in diversity through language and culture and represents the very essence of the Court.
May
Judgment in Meta Platforms Ireland v Commission
Taking into account the accompanying measures adopted by the Commission (in particular, the creation of a virtual data room), the General Court dismisses the action brought by Meta Platforms Ireland and holds that the Commission’s request, made in the context of an investigation into anticompetitive behaviour, for documents containing certain search terms to be provided constitutes an appropriate measure for maintaining the system of competition intended by the Treaties (T‑451/20).
June
50th anniversary of the accession of Denmark and Ireland
In 1973, Denmark and Ireland (as well as the United Kingdom) joined the European Union. Those two Member States celebrate the 50th anniversary of their accession and the first enlargement of the European Union.
June
Taking of the oath by Mr Vittorio Di Bucci, new Registrar of the General Court
Mr Vittorio Di Bucci is appointed Registrar of the General Court of the European Union by the Judges of that court for a term of six years. He succeeds Mr Emmanuel Coulon.
June
Adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Strategy
The Court adopts its Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The document sets out the objectives and principles for the use of AI tools, gives an overview of the main risks and proposes a model for governance.
July
10th anniversary of Croatia’s accession to the European Union
On 1 July 2013, Croatia became the most recent Member State to join the European Union. 10 years later, in January 2023, that State also adopts the euro and enters the Schengen area. To celebrate that historic milestone, a ceremony is held in the Main Courtroom of the Court of Justice.
July
Judgment in Meta Platforms and Others
Following a reference made by a German court, the Court of Justice rules that a national competition authority may find that there is an infringement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the context of an investigation into an abuse of a dominant position (C‑252/21).
September
‘EUnited in Diversity’ conference in The Hague
For the second edition of the ‘EUnited’ conferences, a delegation from the Court of Justice meets in The Hague with judges of the national supreme and constitutional courts and of the European Court of Human Rights to discuss the rule of law and the need to preserve the constitutional diversity of the Member States.
September
Taking of the oath by two new Members of the General Court
Mr Saulius Lukas Kaleda (Lithuania) and Ms Louise Spangsberg Grønfeldt (Denmark) take the oath at a formal sitting on their entry into office as Judges of the General Court.
September
Multilingualism conference at the Court
Focusing on technological advances, the conference speakers and attendees discuss the use of new and effective tools for the work of specialists in the fields of legal translation and interpreting.
October
Presentation of works of art by the National Gallery of Slovenia
On a visit to the Court by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Ms Nataša Pirc Musar, three works of art – Poletje (Summer) and Zima (Winter) by Tugo Šušnik and Cheval Lipizzan by Janez Boljka – are loaned by the National Gallery of Slovenia to be exhibited at the Court.
November
Meeting of Judges
Judges of the national courts meet with the Court to discuss various subjects, such as the preliminary ruling procedure, the concept of judicial independence in EU law, consumer protection and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
November
Solemn undertaking by eight new Members of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office
Mr José António Lopes Ranito, Mr Ignacio de Lucas Martín, Ms Miranda de Meijer, Mr Gedgaudas Norkunas, Ms Anne Pantazi Lamprou, Mr Nikolaos Paschalis, Ms Ursula Schmudermayer and Mr Andrea Venegoni give the solemn undertaking before the Court on their entry into office at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
December
Political agreement on the partial transfer to the General Court of jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings
At a meeting of the ‘quadrilogue’ between representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the Court, a political agreement is reached concerning the request made by the Court of Justice for a partial transfer of jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings to the General Court.
December
Judgment in European Superleague Company
In response to questions from a Spanish court, the Court of Justice holds that the regulatory and control powers and the power to impose sanctions enjoyed by FIFA and UEFA in connection with potentially competing interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, must be exercised in a transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate manner, failing which those powers infringe competition law and the freedom to provide services (C‑333/21).
December
Disability Awareness Day at the Court
The Institution, which is fully committed to accessibility and inclusion, organises workshops and webinars to raise awareness amongst its staff about the rights of people with disabilities.
B | The year in figures
The Institution in 2023
The judicial year (Court of Justice and General Court)
*At the end of 2023, an exceptional set of 404 essentially identical cases were brought before the General Court concerning rights acquired or in the process of being acquired under the supplementary pension scheme for Members of the European Parliament. Those cases have been joined. If they are counted as a single case, the net figures are 1 689 cases brought and 2 587 pending cases.
e-Curia : An application for the exchange of legal documents with the Court
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.
Multilingualism at the Court of Justice of the EU – Ensuring equal access to justice