A | The year in pictures
February
European Parliament approves partial transfer of jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings to the General Court
In order to balance out the litigation workload between the two courts of the European Union and to allow it to devote greater focus to its role as the constitutional and supreme court, in November 2022 the Court of Justice submitted a request to the European Union legislature for the Statute of the Court to be amended to allow the partial transfer of the jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings to the General Court. After several months’ examination and negotiation as part of the legislative process, this significant reform is approved by the European Parliament on 27 February by a very large majority.
February
‘Justice, Future Generations and Environment’ international conference at the French Constitutional Council
Mr Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice, travels to Paris for an international conference organised by the French Constitutional Council and the French Institute for Studies and Research on Law and Justice. This unprecedented conference brings together hundreds of presidents and judges of national, regional and international supreme courts to discuss the growing impact of the concept of ‘future generations’ in environmental litigation.
March
Visit by the President of the Czech Republic, Mr\_Petr Pavel
The President of the Czech Republic, Mr Petr Pavel, is welcomed by Mr Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice, and by Mr Jan Passer, Judge at the Court of Justice, and Ms Petra Škvařilová‑Pelzl and Mr David Petrlík, Judges at the General Court. At a meeting with some of the Institution’s Czech staff members, the delegation is able to admire the painting Na cestě by Czech painter Míla Doleželová, on loan from Masaryk University, and its message of hope, freedom and humanism.
© shutterstock.com
March
First annual dialogue between the European Parliament and the Court
Building on the high quality of exchanges that took place during the discussions on the draft regulation transferring jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice to the General Court in certain specific areas, the Parliament and the Court have decided to continue their dialogue on the basis of an annual meeting devoted to topics of common interest relating to the proper administration of justice, in strict compliance with the separation of powers. The meetings will cover European citizens’ perception of justice and respect for the rule of law as well as any improvements that could be made to the functioning of the judicial system, in pursuit of the goal of bringing justice closer to European citizens.
March
Solemn undertaking by three 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, Ms Katarína Kaszasová, Mr Alejandro Blanco Fernández and Mr João Leão, give their solemn undertaking before the Court.
April
Opening of a historic exhibition at the Court
An exhibition devoted to the history of the Institution is opened at the Court. Composed of photographs, works of art and rare items, it maps the history of the courts and its buildings and is open to all visitors.
April
Final of the ‘European Law Moot Court’ competition
Organised for the first time in 1988, the ‘European Law Moot Court’ is the world’s largest moot competition on EU law. The 2024 edition is won by the University of Madrid, which faced off in the final against the Italian university Roma Tre.
April
Formal sitting to give eulogies
Formal tribute is paid to the memory of John L. Murray, Irish Judge at the Court of Justice (1991‑1999), who died in January 2023; Philippe Léger, French Advocate General at the Court of Justice (1994‑2006), who died in January 2023; and Waltraud Hakenberg, Registrar of the Civil Service Tribunal (2005‑2016), who died in January 2024.
May
Meeting of Judges and conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement
On 1 May 2004, ten new Member States joined the European Union: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. To mark the 20th anniversary of that event, the annual Meeting of Judges and a conference are held at the Court.
Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus / © Gediminas Trečiokas
June
Presentation of the artwork ‘LL’ by Lithuanian artist Kazys Varnelis
The artwork ‘LL’ (1972) by Lithuanian artist Kazys Varnelis is presented to the Court, at a ceremony attended by its President, Mr Koen Lenaerts, the Lithuanian Deputy Minister for Justice, Ms Jurga Greičienė, and the Head of the Iconography Department at the National Museum of Lithuania, Ms Jolanta Bernotaitytė.
June
Visit to Warsaw by a delegation from the General Court
A delegation from the General Court composed of its President, Mr Marc van der Woude, and the Polish Judges Ms Krystyna Kowalik‑Bańczyk and Ms Nina Półtorak, together with the Lithuanian Judge Mr Saulius Lukas Kalėda, travels to Warsaw, to a meeting organised by the Polish Supreme Administrative Court at the Warsaw Bar, in order to give a presentation on the role of the General Court and to strengthen ties with the national courts responsible for the areas of law concerned by the partial transfer of the jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings to the General Court.
September
Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice and of the General Court
Important amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice and of the General Court enter into force on 1 September. They implement the amendments to the Statute of the Court of Justice in the context of the partial transfer of the jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings to the General Court, applicable from 1 October, and modernise the procedures before the two courts.
September
Visit by a delegation from the Supreme Court of the United States
Continuing the regular meetings that have taken place since 1998, this visit serves to strengthen the close and historic ties between the Supreme Court of the United States and the Court of Justice.
September
Installation of an artwork in the Garden of Multilingualism
The artwork Genus, created by the Luxembourg artist Simone Decker, is installed in the Garden of Multilingualism, located on the periphery of the Court’s grounds. Designed specifically for the Court, it takes inspiration from multilingualism and symbolises the linguistic and cultural diversity of the European Union.
© shutterstock.com
October
Partial transfer of jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings
The rules on the partial transfer of the jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice to the General Court become applicable on 1 October. In six specific areas, references for a preliminary ruling are from this date forward handled by the General Court. The first request for a preliminary ruling transferred to the General Court on 17 October (T‑534/24, Gotek) is a Croatian-language case and was made by the Administrative Court, Osijek.
October
Partial replacement of the Court of Justice and entry into office of new Members of the General Court
A formal sitting is held in the Main Courtroom of the Court of Justice to mark, on the one hand, the departure from office of Mr Lars Bay Larsen, Ms Alexandra Prechal, Mr Jean‑Claude Bonichot, Mr Peter George Xuereb, Ms Lucia Serena Rossi, Mr Priit Pikamäe, Mr Nils Wahl and Mr Anthony Michael Collins, and, on the other hand, the taking of the oath by nine new Members of the Court of Justice, namely Mr Bernardus Smulders, Mr Massimo Condinanzi, Mr Fredrik Schalin, Mr Stéphane Gervasoni, Mr Niels Fenger and Ms Ramona Frendo, as Judges, and Mr Dean Spielmann, Mr Andrea Biondi and Mr Rimvydas Norkus, as Advocates General, as well as by two new Judges of the General Court, Mr Hervé Cassagnabère and Mr Raphaël Meyer.
October
Election of the President, Vice‑President and First Advocate General of the Court of Justice
Mr Koen Lenaerts is re-elected by his peers to serve as President of the Court of Justice of the European Union for the next three years. Similarly, Mr Thomas von Danwitz is elected Vice‑President of the Court of Justice, succeeding Mr Lars Bay Larsen. Mr Maciej Szpunar is re‑elected First Advocate General of the Court of Justice.
© shutterstock.com
November
Artificial Intelligence training month
The goal of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) training campaign is to present the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of AI. It seeks to demystify the field of AI and to promote the ethical and responsible use of AI‑based tools.
November
Solemn undertaking by three new Members of the Court of Auditors
Appointed by the Council of the European Union, Mr Petri Sarvamaa, Mr Hans Lindblad and Mr Carlo Alberto Manfredi Selvaggi, the new Members of the European Court of Auditors, give their solemn undertaking before the Court.
November
Visit by the Court of Justice to the European Court of Human Rights
The President of the Court of Justice, Mr Koen Lenaerts, accompanied by a delegation from the Court, travels to the European Court of Human Rights for the courts’ annual meeting. The discussions cover three main topics: ‘Climate change: a challenge for the two European courts’, ‘Mass surveillance and the protection of personal data’ and ‘Protecting the rights of disabled people’.
November
6th meeting of the RJUE correspondents in Brussels
The sixth meeting of the correspondents of the Judicial Network of the European Union is held in Brussels, for the first time outside Luxembourg, under the auspices of the Belgian Council of State. The meeting focuses on the future of cooperation within the RJUE and the application of the principle of consistent interpretation by national courts.
December
Disability Awareness Day at the Court
The Institution, which is fully committed to accessibility and inclusion through multiple initiatives, organises Disability Awareness Day, which this year has as its theme ‘Inclusion through sport: diversity is our strength’.
B | The year in figures
The Institution in 2024
The judicial year (Court of Justice and General Court)
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 European Union – Ensuring equal access to justice