On 28 October 2015, the European Parliament voted during its plenary session in favor of an extensive reform of the statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union which doubles the number of judges of the General Court in 3 steps by 2019.
This vote endorses a compromise text which is a result of informal meetings between the representatives of the four institutions: the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice. On 21 October 2015, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), on behalf of the Council of the European Union, had approved the compromise.
The European Parliament’s vote concludes four years of negotiations of a reform which had been declared being one of the Luxembourg Presidency’s priorities.
Once adopted, the reform will provide a sustainable and long-term solution to the current challenges faced by the General Court of the Union and enables it to fulfil its functions within the time limits and the quality standards which European citizens and companies are entitled to expect in a Union based on the rule of law. The reform is essential for facing the substantial increase, over the past several years, of the General Court’s workload and to decrease the duration of procedures and, thereby decreasing the risks of the European Union being condemned for violation of the obligation to adjudicate within a reasonable time.
"The reform of the statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union goes together with the strengthening of an institution which has endlessly driven the European construction", stated Minister of Justice Félix Braz.
Released by the Ministry of Justice