Former research Officer at @democracyreporting.bsky.social on human rights and the rule of law. Past: Budapest City Hall, @hungarianhelsinki.bsky.social, member of the National Election Commission. Usual disclaimers.
DĂĄniel G. SzabĂł
Loading...
CEE vibes
University College Dublin has just been announced as the host of the next round of the world's biggest event in public law! The 2026 @icon-s.bsky.social conference will be hosted in Belfield in July 2026 by the UCD Centre for Constitutional Studies led by Prof Carolan & @ucdschooloflaw.bsky.social
âŒïž It would be unfair to judge the Court solely by the length of these cases, as this is the area where the Court acts decisively and swiftly using interim measures â within days if necessary. Some cases where interim measures were issued within three to six days:
1ïžâŁ C-45/87 R, Commission v Ireland;
2ïžâŁ C-65/18 P(R)-R, Nexans v Commission;
3ïžâŁ C-320/03 R, Commission v Austria;
4ïžâŁ C-503/06 R, Commission v Italy;
5ïžâŁ Câ78/14 PR, Commission v ANKO AE.
The Court can issue interim measures in infringement cases, an essential tool for avoiding further damage. Current practice forbids the Court from issuing interim measures in preliminary rulings. Therefore, the length of proceedings is more important in preliminary ruling than in infringement cases.
But how fast are these cases? Court statistics show direct actions, including infringement cases as a subcategory, average over 21 months.
đȘđș Infringement proceedings are the primary tool for ensuring that EU Member States comply with EU law. If a country violates Union law, the European Commissionâor, rarely, another Member Stateâcan initiate proceedings that may ultimately lead to the Court, which rules on the alleged infringement.
đ„ However, the fastest infringement case was decided within 129 days: C-333/04, Commission v Luxembourg. It was not the most complex case, as Luxembourg did not deny the delayed transposition of the ATEX 153 Directive on workers at risk of explosive atmospheres.
An infringement ruling in 129 days â How fast can the Court of Justice of the European Union be?
DĂĄniel G. SzabĂł
I have written about how fast the Court can be in preliminary ruling cases: lnkd.in/dr2sHMB7. Now it is time to analyse its performance in infringement cases.
