Building on the high quality of the 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.
During the discussions on the request to amend the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which aimed to transfer jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice to the General Court in certain specific areas, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) established a constructive dialogue on the functioning of the judicial system of the European Union, which proved particularly beneficial for the preparation of the draft regulation finally adopted by the European Parliament on 27 February 2024 and by the Council on 19 March 2024.
Given the quality and importance of these discussions, the European Parliament and the CJEU wished to continue this dialogue, in strict compliance with the separation of powers, by setting up an annual meeting to examine the implementation of the reform of the Statute introduced by the draft regulation and to reflect together on further improvements.
It was in this context that the first annual dialogue between the European Parliament and the CJEU was held in Luxembourg on 20 March 2024. A delegation from the Parliament’s competent committee, Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), comprising its Chair and Members representing the various political groups, was welcomed by the President of the Court of Justice, who was accompanied by a delegation comprising Members of the Court of Justice and the General Court holding the most eminent positions.
This first dialogue was an opportunity for both institutions to lay the foundations for future meetings, which will now be held annually and will address issues of common interest.
Those issues could relate, in particular, to European citizens’ perception of justice and respect for the rule of law, to any improvements that could be made to the functioning of the judicial system of the European Union or to current legal issues, in strict compliance with the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
Thanks to the establishment of this annual forum for exchange and discussion, the European Parliament and the CJEU now have a platform that promotes continuous dialogue between two institutions whose complementary missions, lying at the heart of European democracy, contribute every day to bringing justice closer to European citizens.
Source : © European Union, 2024 – EP
