What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

2. MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

6 unchanged paragraphs

with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union

(2025/2148(DEC))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union,

– having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs,

Changed:– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0000/2026),(A10-0055/2026),

A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability, and by implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;

B. whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is the judicial institution of the Union, having the task of ensuring compliance with Union law by overseeing the uniform interpretation and application of the Treaties and ensuring the lawfulness of measures adopted by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies;

Change 2

Changed:D.C. whereas the CJEU helps preserving the values of the Union and, through its case-law, works towards the building of Europe;Europe while remaining accountable to citizens through legal certainty, consistency of jurisprudence and respect for the limits of judicial interpretation;

D. whereas the CJEU comprises two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court;

E. whereas Parliament and Council amended Protocol No 3 on the Statute of the CJEU (the ‘Statute’) in 2024 with respect to the transfer of preliminary rulings in specific areas to the jurisdiction of the General Court;

Change 3

Changed:1. Notes that the budget of the CJEU falls under MFF heading 7, ‘European public administration’, which amounted to EUR 13,3 billion in 2023 (representing 6,9 % of the total Union budget); notes that the CJEU’s budget of approximately EUR 0,5 billion represents approximately 3,76 % of the total administrative expenditure of the Union, which is a decrease from 3,9 % in 2023; highlights that, in cases relating to the investigation of the Union budget, the principles of due process and fundamental rights must be fully respected by all competent authorities.

4 unchanged paragraphs

2. Notes that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’), in its Annual Report for the financial year 2024 (the ‘Court’s report’) examined a sample of 70 transactions under the heading ‘Administration’, the same number as in 2023; the Court further states that administrative expenditure comprises expenditure on human resources, including expenditure on pensions, which in 2024 accounted for approximately 69 % of the total administrative expenditure, and expenditure on buildings, equipment, energy, communications and information technology (IT), and that its work over many years indicates that, overall, this spending is low risk;

3. Notes that 16 (23 %) of the 70 transactions contained errors but that the Court, based on the three errors which were quantified, estimates the level of error to be below the materiality threshold; notes that the Court’s report did not identify any specific issues concerning the CJEU;

Budgetary and financial management

4. Notes that the budget allocated for the CJEU in 2024 amounted to EUR 503 837 531, which represented an increase of 3,66 % compared to 2023; notes that this increase was mainly related to salary adjustments forecasted for 2024;

Change 4

Added:5. Notes that personnel expenditure accounts for almost 80 % of the CJEU budget and that salary updates exceeded initial forecasts in 2024; stresses that, while these increases were absorbed without additional budgetary reinforcements, their recurrent nature raises questions as regards medium-term budgetary sustainability under current MFF constraints; calls for enhanced multiannual workforce and expenditure planning, without undermining judicial independence;

6. Notes from the CJEU’s replies to the questionnaire for the 2024 discharge that the overall provisional implementation rate of the budget at the end of 2024 was 97,72%, the same as in 2023, whereas the final implementation rate for 2024 will be available at the end of 2025; notes that three transfers were submitted to the budgetary authority in accordance with Article 29 of the Financial Regulation to reinforce the budget lines for ‘Purchases, work, servicing and maintenance of equipment and software’, ‘Early Childhood Centre’ and ‘Buildings’ from other budget lines, mainly the budget line for staff ‘Remuneration and allowances’;

Change 5

Changed:6.7. Agrees that that the ability of the CJEU to respond to an ever increasing workload has been challenged on the one hand by the Commission’s guidelines for the preparation of the budget that limit the increase for all non-salary related expenditure to a maximum of 2 % and discourage requests for new posts, and, on the other hand, EPSO’s failure to provide Union institutions with a reasonably sized pool of successful candidates from competitions from which to recruit; notes moreover that inflationary effects of the illegal Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continued to create budgetary pressure for the CJEU through e.g. rising cost of missions or an increase in the prices of contracted goods and services; commends the CJEU for its measures mitigating such effects by reducing the number of missions, containing energy spending and, above all, applying a prioritisation of projects when preparing budget estimates; acknowledges the need of all Union institutions to improve their budget management by also taking into account price volatility, especially in the energy sector, when concluding contracts with service providers; calls on the CJEU to continue enhancing cost-efficiency and proactive budget planning to preserve judicial quality within the available resources;

8. Observes a slight increase in the average payment time from 23,1 days in 2023 to 23,7 days in 2024 and an increase in the share of invoices received electronically, from 81 % in 2023 to 88 % in 2024; notes from the CJEU’s follow-up to the observations in the resolution of Parliament concerning the 2023 discharge (the ‘follow-up report’) that for invoices related to external translation, payment is conditioned upon a revision process, which is necessary in order to ensure the required high quality of translation;

Change 6

Changed:8.9. Notes with satisfaction that its mission budget for CJEU’s members and staff of the CJEU decreased for a second year in a row, from EUR 638 000 in 2023 to EUR 616 000 in 2024, representing a decrease of approx.approximately 3,33.44 %;

Internal management, performance and internal control

Change 7

Changed:9.10. Notes with appreciation from the CJEU replies to the questionnaire for the 2024 discharge the efforts made by the CJEU to complete the judicial reform for the partial transfer of jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice to the General Court and allow for the implementation of the new regulatory framework as of 1 October 2024; notes in this context the reorganisation of the structure of the General Court, the modification of CJEU’s rulesRules of procedureProcedure (RoP), the adoption of a new set of practice rules of the General Court for the implementation of the RoP, the adoption of a new decision on the lodging and service of procedural documents through e-Curia, the development of a new software (‘One-stop-shop’) for swift analysis and processing of casescases, greater efficiency and quality of judicial outcomes and the harmonisation of practices of the registries of the twoCourt courtsof Justice and the General Court in 2024; notes with appreciation that during the first three months after entry into force of the reform, 2019 preliminary rulings were already transferred to the General Court, thus marking the first results towards a more balanced distribution of the workload between the two courts; notes that the sole additional costs associated with implementing the judicial reform were IT-related ones, for the development of the One-stop-shop, amounting to approximately EUR 805 000, while in terms of staff the reform was kept budgetary neutral through redeployment of posts and duties within the institution; calls the CJEUto report on concrete impact of the judicial reform on efficiency, duration of proceedings and the workload distribution between the Court of Justice and the General Court, including the impact of digital tools on processing times and workload balance; calls the CJEUto present, for the next discharge procedure a comprehensive ex post evaluation of the reform;

Change 8

Changed:10.11. Notes that, in 2024, the Court of Justice ruled on 12 cases concerning the principle of primacy of Union law, of which 10 cases of preliminary rulings and two cases of infringement; reiterates that the principle of primacy of Union law, which ensures the uniform interpretation and application of Union law across all Member States and safeguards the rule of law as a core value of the Union is fundamental; strongly reaffirms that the primacy of Union law is the cornerstone of the Union’s legal order and highlights the pivotal role of the CJEU in upholding the rule of law across the Union; notes that Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union provides that “The Union shall respect the equality of Member States before the Treaties as well as their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government”;

12. Notes from the CJEU’s replies to the questionnaire for the 2024 discharge that 920 new cases were submitted to the Court of Justice in 2024 (compared to 821 in 2023), out of which 62,30 % were references for preliminary rulings and 277 were appeals against decisions of the General Court; notes that the General Court saw a major decrease in the number of new cases, from 1 271 in 2023 to 786 in 2024, of which 35,88 % of cases were actions for annulment of acts of Union institutions, 34,10 % concerned actions relating to intellectual property and 9,67 % concerned disputes between Union institutions and their staff;

Change 9

Changed:12.13. Agrees with the CJEU that the Commission, as guardian of the treaties,Treatiess, should monitor Member States’ compliance with CJEU rulings, butrulings; reiteratereiterates its call on the CourtCJEU, strictly within the limits of its role, to set a mechanism to identify best and poor practices among Member States;

14. Notes an increase in the number of cases closed by the General Court from 904 in 2023 to 922 in 2024 and an increase in the number of cases closed by the Court of Justice from 783 in 2023 to 863 in 2024, whereas the latter increase was precipitated by the triennial partial replacement of the Judges and Advocates General of the Court of Justice in 2024; notes further an increase in the number of pending cases at the Court of Justice from 1 149 in 2023 to 1 206 in 2024, and a decrease in the number of pending cases at the General Court from 1 438 in 2023 to 1 302 in 2024 (including a series of 404 essentially identical cases counted as a single case), partly due to the closure of certain large groups of cases;

Change 10

Removed:14. Notes that the average duration of proceedings for the cases closed by the Court of Justice was 17,7 months in 2024 compared to 16,1 months in 2023, whereas the respective increase by approximately six weeks was due to the complexity and voluminosity of some files (such as actions brought in 2020 against the Union’s so-called ‘mobility pack’ and closed in 2024); notes that the average duration for the cases closed by judgement or by order by the General Court increased from 18,2 months in 2023 to 18,5 months in 2024;

Added:15. welcomes, at the same time, the reduction of the average time taken to dispose of cases under the urgent procedure before the Court of Justice, which fell from 4, 3 months in 2023 to 3, 3 months in 2024;

Added:16. Notes that the average duration of proceedings for the cases closed by the Court of Justice was 17,7 months in 2024 compared to 16,1 months in 2023, whereas the respective increase by approximately six weeks was due to the complexity and voluminosity of some files (such as actions brought in 2020 against the Union’s so-called ‘mobility pack’ and closed in 2024); notes that the average duration for the cases closed by judgement or by order by the General Court increased from 18,2 months in 2023 to 18,5 months in 2024; stresses that the timeliness of judicial proceedings must remain a core performance objective, as excessive length directly affects legal certainty for citizens, national courts and economic operators;

Added:17. Calls on the CJEU to explore, in cooperation with the national courts, practical guidance tools (such as guidelines, preliminary reference templates and online training sessions) to support clear and focused formulation of the questions submitted in preliminary rulings, thereby reducing the risk of unnecessary or excessively long proceedings;

18. Commends the CJEU for the increase registered in the use of the e-Curia application, whereas the number of accounts opened by national courts went from 451 in 2023 to 566 in 2024 and the percentage of procedural documents lodged via e-Curia reached 91 % at the Court of Justice and 96 % at the General Court;

Change 11

Changed:16.19. Welcomes the performance-based approach developed by the CJEU, allowing the CJEU to take decisions based on the level of achievement of its objectives, measured through a set of workload and operational indicators (e.g. cost-efficiency, project completion rates, user satisfaction and resource optimisation) tailored to each department; notes that the key performance indicators used by the CJEU cover a wide range of specific areas in support of the five management objectives relating to the proper functioning of the two courts, digitalisation and emerging technologies, openness and transparency, multilingualism and human resources management; highlights the need for the CJEU to ensure that these indicators are transparent, outcome-oriented and regularly reviewed to support effective management and accountability;

Change 12

Changed:17.20. Welcomes its approach revised in 2024 regarding the return on investment of innovation initiatives, by taking into account cost evaluation through parameters such as implementation and personnel efforts, annual maintenance, contractors cost and other types of costs, as well as evaluation of benefits through parameters such as projected gains, strategic advantages and number of users impacted; notes that in 2024, the CJEU also made a thorough revision of its system to follow project management and financial tracking of projects, with a view to ensuring a complete reporting and control over its time-based digitalisation consultancy services by 2025; invites the CJEU to keep the discharge authority updated on this matter;

Change 13

Changed:18.21. Notes and from the CJEU’s internal audit report for 2024 (the ‘internal report’) that the main audit activities carried out by the CJEU’s internal audit department in 2024 concerned an audit of the CJEU’s project to upgrade its infrastructure security arrangements and projects of property inventory, as well as three studies: on changes in CJEU’s human capital needs in the age of generative AI; on competences of organisations and their employees in a changing environment; and on well-being of employees and emerging technologies); notes with appreciation from the internal report that the departments concerned took action to implement audit recommendations, often before the audits were concluded; further notes that in relation to the 2024 programme, work was ongoing in 2025 for an audit of IT licences and for the last part of the audit of the management of furniture and equipment purchases; observes that the reported state of play of the latter audit has remained unchanged for two consecutive reporting periods; invites the CJEU in the future to present an update on the monitoring of actions taken on internal audit recommendations in table format, with status of implementation for each action and recommendation;

Human resources, equality and staff well-being

22. Notes that the total year-end number of officials increased from 1 340 (58 %) in 2023 to 1 354 (60 %) in 2024, the number of temporary agents decreased from 765 (33 %) in 2023 to 740 (33 %) in 2024, and the number of contract agents decreased from 198 (9 %) in 2023 to 173 (7 %) in 2024; notes that the occupation rate decreased slightly from 97,11 % in 2023 to 96,70 % in 2024 and the annual turnover of staff decreased from 6,54 % in 2023 to 6,32 % in 2024, with 41 % of staff departures being pension-related;

Change 14

Changed:20.23. Notes that the Court of Justice is composed of 27 Judges and 11 Advocates General and the General Court is composed of 54 Judges; notes further that nine new Judges at the Court of Justice and two new Judges at the General Court took office on account of partial replacement in 2024; regrets that gender composition of the Court of Justice and the General Court continues to be very unbalanced; expresses its appreciation of the letter from the President of the General Court to the President of the Conference of the Representatives of the Member States in 2024, calling on Member States to take the need for gender balance into account when nominating candidates for the replacement of Judges and Advocates General; renews its call on Member States to take the need for gender balance into account when nominating candidates for the replacement of Judges;Judges, while ensuring that nominations continue to be based on merit, qualification and independence criteria;

Change 15

Changed:21.24. Notes that, in 2024, the staff of the CJEU was composed of 60,70 % women and 39,30 % men; notes that women representation was the highest in assistant grades (69,14 %), while regrettably it was the lowest in senior management positions (35,71 %); notes further an increase in the distribution of women in middle management positions from 43,33 % in 2023 to 51,61 % in 2024; notes with satisfaction from the management report of the authorising officer by delegation for 2024 an upward trend in the representation of women in management posts overall, from 37,50 % in 2018 to 48,70 % in 2024; stresses that the persistent under representation of women in senior management positions remains a concern and encourages the court to continue strengthening targeted measures aimed at supporting career progression and leadership pathways for women, in full respect of the principles of merit and transparency;

Change 16

Added:25. Welcomes the creation of an action plan on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the ‘Istanbul Convention’) which aligns actions, makes recommendations and organises informative and training actions for all staff in order to prevent harassment cases; takes notes of further actions announced, which include continuing the collaboration with national organisations working in the field of preventing violence against women, additional awareness-raising initiatives and training sessions that highlight, in particular, the impact of microaggressions and gender-based bias; regrets, in this regard, the lack of mandatory training for members of the CJEU, as stated in the CJEU’s replies to the questionnaire for the 2024 discharge; urges therefore the inclusion of all individuals, both staff and members of the CJEU, into obligatory training sessions in the field of preventing violence against women;

26. Notes with appreciation the variety of efforts and actions deployed by the CJEU among its staff, including at recruitment stage, in favour of equality, inclusion, mutual respect and diversity (D&I); notes in particular the launch in 2024 of a new training on D&I with a focus on prevention of micro-aggressions and, as of 2025, two new trainings on setting healthy boundaries to improve performance and on harassment-free environment organised following recommendations of CJEU’s interdepartmental working group on the Istanbul Convention; notes with appreciation CJEU’s personalised support measures (on tasks, working hours and workspaces), since 2022, for staff with disabilities, the institution’s participation at the disability awareness week organised in 2024 and the development as of 2025 of a pilot programme for trainees with disabilities; invites the CJEU to inform the discharge authority of the outcome of this latter programme;

Change 17

Changed:23.27. Welcomes that all Union nationalities are represented in the staff of the CJEU; notes however that certain nationalities are more represented than others, whereas some of them are largely over-represented; supports CJEU in stepping up its efforts to advertise vacancy notices as widely as possible through interinstitutional websites, social media networks and EPSO; notes from the follow-up report the CJEU’s commitment to analyse relevant data for the implementation of targeted actions aiming at improving geographical representation among its staff including trainees; welcomes the CJEUCJEU’s efforts to raise awareness of the traineeship programmes among national administrations and permanent representations of underrepresented Member States; notes with satisfaction that for traineeships within the framework of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), the CJEU received in 2024 applications from three new Member States participating for the first time in its long-term training programme for national justice professionals;

Change 18

Changed:24.28. Commends the CJEU’s actions in the field of (legal) multilingualism in 2024, such as the finalisation and launch of a website on multilingualism, the co-organisation of the first edition of a summer school together with other Union -institutions,institutions, the close collaboration with Member States to develop a pool of external expertise to address increases in translation volumes and to cover any language combinations, awareness-raising actions for the freelance market and a continued upgrade of procedures and skills on the use of digital tools (including AI-related) for translation;

Change 19

Changed:25.29. Commends the CJEU for its actions to address staff recruitment challenges and promote Luxembourg among young graduates as a place to work; notes with appreciation the CJEU’s contribution to the setting up and implementation of a housing allowance paid with retroactive effect from 1 January 2025 to staff at lower grades, the preparation of EPSO competitions specifically targeting staff to be employed in Luxembourg, as well as information sessions and summer schools; encourages intensified cooperation with EPSO and other institutions to broaden the pool of qualified candidates and strengthen competitive selection processes in specialised fields; notes from the follow-up report that the CJEU piloted on behalf of the High Level Interinstitutional Group a project/survey to establish whether it would be feasible to contract rental services for temporary housing (i.e. for a maximum period of one year), at market price (or below) that would be paid directly by staff members; further notes that survey was successful and consequently the working group has submitted a service level agreement to the participating institutions to mandate the CJEU to conduct a real estate negotiation procedure with entities that have submitted suitable projects; invites the CJEU to keep the discharge authority informed of the follow-up on this matter;

30. Notes that the CJEU recruited 201 trainees under the general (paid) traineeship scheme; notes further that 34 % of the candidates initially selected declined the CJEU’s offer after realising Luxembourg’s high cost of living; renews its emphasis that traineeships should be remunerated in compliance with Parliament's resolution of 14 June 2023 on quality traineeships in the Union (2020/2005(INL)), which calls for all internships in Union to be paid; welcomes that currently all trainees at the CJEU receive a grant during their stay, mainly from the CJEU and, in some specific cases, from other sources; take notes that the CJEU only accepts a few trainees (seven in 2024) paid by other sources, and for short periods;

Change 20

Changed:27.31. Notes that in 2024 there were 1917 burnout cases documented, of which eight new cases reported in 2024 and nine cases reported in 2023, whereas staff concerned received professional support and guidance; notes with appreciation that, in 2024, the CJEU remained a frontrunner on initiatives that promote physical and mental wellbeing of staff and address burnout and psychosocial risks, such as consultations with a social worker or a psychologist, lectures on mindfulness and digital balance, specialised workshops and awareness-raising activities on health issues, first aid training sessions and the recruitment of two part-time psychologists; acknowledges the success regarding the use of flexible working arrangements, including CJEU’s teleworking scheme, ultimately striving for a better staff work-life balance;

32. Notes that an administrative enquiry was launched in 2023 on an alleged case of sexual harassment concerning a member of staff and that this case was closed in 2024 with a sanction; notes that no new administrative enquiry concerning harassment was opened in 2024;

Ethical framework, transparency and access to justice for citizens

Change 21

Changed:29.33. Notes that, as requested in previous discharge recommendations, the new code of conduct (CoC) for officials and other servants of the CJEU reflecting the latter’s values and commitment to high ethical standards was adopted in March 2024;2024 and notes that the CoC includes provisions on conflict of interests, duty of loyalty, duty of confidentiality and discretion, outside activities, occupational activities after leaving the service and publications, provisions against harassment and also applies to seconded national experts and trainee judges hosted under the EJTN; notes with satisfaction that the CJEU has put in place measures to present and explain the CoC as widely as possible and to make the staff fully comprehend the new rules and the broader legal framework they are part of, and that training on the CoC and the rights and obligations of staff are mandatory for newcomers and highly recommended to all CJEU staff, whereas a total of 747561 persons (i.e. 32,8024,75 % of the CJEU’s total number of officials and agents) participated in such trainings in 2024; further notes that similar training had been also offered to new CJEU members of the CJEU in 2024; notes with appreciation the CJEU’s network of ‘confidential counsellors’ who assist staff members in case of harassment, as well as the talent management programme offered to high-potential administrators that covers, inter alia,ethicalalia, ethical leadership; encourages the CJEU to progressively strengthen the provision of training on the CoCto all staff members without exception, to ensure a shared understanding of ethical standards across the institution;

Change 22

Changed:30.34. Notes that, further to the adoption of the code of conduct for members and former members of the CJEU, the declaration of interests of the members of the CJEU are published online to avoid any potential conflict of interest in the handling of cases; notes with satisfaction from the follow-up report that in 2024 the CJEU signed the agreement establishing the inter-institutional ‘EU Ethics Body’ that has, among its tasks, the drawing up of common minimum standards for the conduct of members of the signatory institutions; acknowledges that the CJEU retains observer status within that body in order to preserve the independence of the judiciary;

35. Observes its robust policy on detection and prevention of conflicts of interest within the institution and revolving doors, with the new CoC defining specific and stricter rules for managers and legal secretaries; notes that three potential conflicts of interest declarations from staff members were processed in 2024, whereas none required corrective action; notes further that 57 staff members declared in 2024 their intent to work after leaving the CJEU, whereas none were placed into a cooling-off period; notes however that the cooling-off period for a case submitted in 2023 by a former senior staff member continued in 2024; notes that no whistleblowing case was reported in the CJEU in 2024;

Change 23

Changed:32.36. Notes from the follow-up report that the recusal policy of Judges in cases of actual or apparent conflict of interest is already mandatory and that the CJEU relies on a tested mechanism to prevent conflicts of interest, whereas that mechanism covers the process for selecting CJEU members of the CJEU and produces full effects when they take up their duties;

37. Notes that, in 2024, all members of the CJEU were resident of Luxembourg in accordance with Article 14 of the Statute;

Change 24

Changed:34.38. Notes that the list of external activities carried out by the members of both the Court of Justice and the General Court has been published on the CJEU website since 2018 and that such activities are only approved if they are compatible with the requirements of the code of conduct of CJEU’s members of the CJEU and with their obligations to be available for judicial activities; welcomes from the follow-up report the commitment of the CJEU to analyse the possibilities to improve the quality and readability of the published information related to external activities;

Change 25

Changed:35.39. Recalls Parliament’s recommendation made in 2023 to all Union institutions to agree on a single system on the use of official vehicles to be applied horizontally; notes in this context and the follow-up report that in 2024 the CJEU, the Court, Parliament and the Commission have set up an interinstitutional working group aiming at exchanging information on respective practices and identifying avenues for harmonisation of the rules, while respecting the autonomy and specificities of each institution; recalls Parliament’s opinion that the use of car fleet outside of the strict performance of the duties of the Membersmembers of the CJEU should not take place under any circumstances; notes further from the follow-up report that the working group has performed a benchmarking on the issue and is looking into other subjects related to car-fleet management; calls on the working group to act swiftly on this matter and inform the discharge authority of the outcome of its work and conclusions as soon as possible;

40. Notes that the CJEU did not report any cases of fraud, corruption or misuse of Union funds in 2024; notes that the CJEU’s anti-fraud strategy is an integral part of its integrated internal control and risk management framework, with a particular focus on the risks of improper disclosure of information; notes that its internal regulatory framework includes a decision on investigations concerning fraud, corruption or illegal activity against the interest of the Union and a decision and guidelines on whistleblowing including provisions on information and protection for whistleblowers;

Change 26

Changed:37.41. Welcomes the CJEU’s engagement to enhance transparency, access to justice and public openness, thus contributing to foster public trust in the Union institutions, while balancing in other fundamental concerns such as judicial serenity, confidentiality of proceedings and protection of personal data; emphasises that increased transparency must also serve to strengthen public trust in the CJEU’s jurisprudence; encourages the CJEU to continue efforts to improve the clarity, accessibility and predictability of its case-law, particularly in cases with significant constitutional or societal impact; notes that, in 2024, the CJEU consolidated the streaming service for hearings of the Court of Justice and of the General Court on the Curia website, thus facilitating the access of citizens to the judicial activities of the CJEU; welcomes in this context, as a result of the judicial reform adopted in 2024, the increased transparency of the preliminary ruling procedure by allowing for the publication on the CJEU’s website of written observations within a reasonable time after the closure of the case;

Change 27

Changed:38.42. Notes with satisfaction from the follow-up report that, following a successful pilot project launched in 2022 and the update of its RoP in 2024, the Court of Justice expanded the streaming service to include important cases heard by a Chamber of five Judges, as well as near-live-streaming of hearings of oral pleadings and live broadcasts of the delivery of judgments and of opinions of the Advocates General; notes further that since 1 September 2024 video recordings of hearings for the delivery of judgments and opinions remain permanently available on the CJEU’s website and video recordings of oral pleadings are accessible for one month after the hearing; notes with appreciation that the General Court has taken similar measures to ensure expanded access of the public to its proceedings;