Skip to content
OPINION (2023/2132(DEC))

On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget on the 2022 discharge: General budget of the EU - Court of Justice of the European Union

JURI-AD-753556

Committee on Legal Affairs · Rapporteur: Adrián Vázquez Lázara

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 15 Oct 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

The Committee on Legal Affairs gives its opinion to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the 2022 discharge for the Court of Justice of the European Union's budget. It notes the institution's return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, the high use of 2022 appropriations (98.4%) and the mainly administrative nature of the budget. It reviews case numbers and the length of proceedings before both courts, and the areas most of the pending cases concern. It welcomes digitalisation steps such as the electronic signature, the streaming of hearings, the revamped Annual Report, the SIGA case management system and the use of e-Curia. It notes the gender balance among staff and managers, and calls on the Council to promote gender parity in appointing judges.

Committee position. The Committee on Legal Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its suggestions into the motion for a resolution on the 2022 discharge for the Court of Justice, covering budget use, case management, digitalisation, transparency and gender balance.

Key points

  1. The Committee on Legal Affairs asks the Committee on Budgetary Control to include its suggestions in the discharge resolution.
  2. It notes the institution's return to normal after the pandemic and welcomes the continued use of technological tools introduced in response.
  3. It appreciates the 98.4% use of final 2022 appropriations, similar to 98.7% in 2021 and 99% in 2020.
  4. It stresses that the Court's budget is essentially administrative, with around 75% for Members and staff and almost all the rest for buildings and IT.
  5. It notes that the average length of proceedings before the Court of Justice stayed similar (16.4 months in 2022, 16.6 in 2021) and fell before the General Court to 16.2 months in 2022 from 17.3 in 2021.
  6. It notes comparable case numbers (1 710 in 2022, 1 720 in 2021), 1 666 cases completed in 2022, and a rise in pending cases to 2 585 from 2 541.
  7. It notes that most pending cases at the Court of Justice concern freedom, security and justice, approximation of laws, taxation, consumer protection and social policy, and at the General Court intellectual and industrial property, state aid and economic and monetary policy.
  8. It acknowledges the work of the Judicial Network of the European Union in cooperation between the CJEU and national courts and in pooling efficient justice practices.
  9. It welcomes the introduction of the electronic signature for judgments and orders of the General Court.
  10. It welcomes the streaming system for Court of Justice hearings and says it should be gradually supplemented by additional external communication means for greater visibility.
  11. It appreciates the makeover of the CJEU's Annual Report and the advances in the Integrated Case Management System (SIGA), and notes the upward trend in e-Curia use.
  12. It notes that 60% of the 2 254 officials and agents are women and that women hold 40% of managerial posts, but calls on the Council to promote gender parity in appointing judges.

Who is affected

  • The Court of Justice of the European Union, whose 2022 budget implementation is assessed.
  • The Committee on Budgetary Control, which is asked to incorporate the suggestions into its discharge resolution.
  • Members of the Council, urged to promote gender parity in appointing judges.

Figures and deadlines

  • 98.4% — use of final appropriations for 2022.
  • 98.7% for 2021 and 99% for 2020 — use of final appropriations.
  • around 75% — share of appropriations related to expenditure for Members and staff.
  • 16.4 months in 2022, 16.6 months in 2021 — average length of proceedings before the Court of Justice.
  • 16.2 months in 2022, 17.3 months in 2021 — average length of proceedings before the General Court.
  • 1 710 cases in 2022, 1 720 in 2021 — cases brought before the two courts.
  • 1 666 cases completed in 2022, 1 723 in 2021, 1 692 per year between 2018 and 2021 — cases completed.
  • 2 585 cases pending in 2022, 2 541 in 2021 — total pending cases.