More than 1,600 cases brought before the EU courts for second year

A total of 1,656 cases were brought before the two courts in 2017 and 1,594 cases were closed.

The number brought before the Court of Justice (739) sets a new record in the history of the institution, eclipsing 713 in 2015.

The rise has been driven by cases seeking an interpretation of the regulation concerning compensation to air passengers and an increase in actions against EU member states for failing to fulfil their obligations.

The number of appeals lodged before the court in 2017 (141) was lower than in the two previous years (206 in 2015 and 168 in 2016).

With 699 cases completed, the court’s productivity in 2017 was practically on a par with that of 2016 (704). The average duration of proceedings was 17.1 months, compared with 12.9 months in 2016.

In the General Court, which has now completed its first full year under new organisation, 917 cases were brought and 895 were closed.

The General Court’s productivity increased considerably (140 more cases closed than in 2016, that is an increase of 18.5 per cent) following the dip experienced in the context of its triennial renewal and its internal reorganisation resulting from the reform.

The EU believes that productivity will grow further over the coming year.

The average duration of proceedings declined to 16.3 months, 13 per cent shorter than in 2016 and 40 per cent shorter than in 2013.

The number of cases referred to an extended Chamber sitting with five judges increased significantly (84 cases referred, 29 in 2016). The proportion of cases referred was nearly 10 per cent in 2017.