WIREDGOV

On 26-28 September the informal debates of the representatives of the governments of the Member States on the reform of the Court of Justice organized by the European Law Department under the Ministry of Justice will takes place in Vilnius. This discussion is intended to examine recent legislative initiatives of the European Union Court of Justice and possible alternative solutions for the increase of litigation efficiency in the wider context.

In the early 2011, the Court of Justice submitted a proposal regarding amendments of its Statute and its Rules of Procedure to the Council and the European Parliament. The Court of Justice is in need of immediate help, as due to the increased number of new cases and the number of cases pending, the workload and the period of case hearing has greatly increased. Most of the issues on reform of the Court of Justice were approved in the working group of the Court of Justice, however the Member States haven’t reach a consensus on some issues.

According to Deividas Kriaučiūnas, Director General of the European Law Department, a number of compromise proposals were brought in the framework of the working group, and the consensus is still being sought. During the informal debates in Vilnius the Court's current initiatives and possible alternative solutions related to the appointment of additional judges of the General Court are going to be discussed

"The meeting of the representatives of the governments in Vilnius will be a great platform for the informal discussions about the reform of the Court of Justice. This reform is important for the EU institutions and it is of paramount importance for the Member States, the natural and legal persons which are interested in the efficiency of the proceedings before the Court of Justice," D. Kriaučiūnas says.

In addition to the representatives of the governments before the Court, representatives from the European Commission, the General Secretariat of the Council and the Court of Justice will participate in the discussion.

On the side of the debates a separate Meeting of the Agents before the Court of Justice will be held in order to discuss and exchange opinions on the practical issues related to organization of the work of these representatives.