BackSince the establishment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1952, it constitutes the judicial authority of the European Union and, in cooperation with the courts and tribunals of the Member States, it ensures the uniform application and interpretation of European Union law.
The annual report provides a synopsis of the case-law of the three courts which together constitute the Court of Justice of the European Union: the Court of Justice, the General Court and the Civil Service Tribunal. In addition, the report contains much statistical information concerning their judicial activity. It is availabel in all official EU languages.
In his introductory notes, Mr. Vassilios Skouris, President of the Court of Justice, highlights the impact of the Lisbon Treaty and the continued increase of cases brought before the Court:
"For the Court of Justice of the European Union, 2010 was a year of consolidation of the reforms to the European Union's judicial system that were introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon. The procedure to implement the most important of those reforms, namely the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights, was embarked upon in 2010. The Court of Justice has followed and will continue to follow this procedure closely as it progresses.
The past year will also be remembered for the unflagging tempo of the institution's judicial activity. It may be noted, in this connection, that a total of 1 406 cases were brought before the three courts comprising the Court of Justice; this figure is the highest in the institution's history and reflects the constant increase in the volume of European Union litigation. In addition, the overall decrease in the duration of proceedings is worthy of mention, a decrease that is very significant especially in preliminary ruling proceedings."
