EU courts cut backlogs despite rise in cases
Figures from the EU courts show that the average length of proceedings fell last year, despite an increase in the number of cases brought.
The number of cases brought before the higher Court of Justice and the lower General Court in 2025 was 1,878 – up from 1,706 the previous year.
The two courts closed 1,898 cases last year, compared with 1,784 in 2024.
The number of cases pending before the two courts at the end of last year was 2,489, continuing a decline observed last year, when the figure was 2,509.
In the higher court, the average duration of proceedings was 16.7 months – down from 17.7 months in 2024.
Record figures in lower court
The General Court closed 1,224 cases in 2025 – the highest number in its history.
The 989 new cases brought before the lower court was also a record, and represented a 36% increase compared with 2024.
Despite the increase in cases, the General Court reduced its backlog of pending cases to 1,167 – the lowest level in 18 years.
The average length of proceedings in the lower court was 16 months, compared with 18.5 months in 2024.
Transfer of jurisdiction
The figures for both courts were affected by the transfer of 65 requests for a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice to the General Court.
Under a change introduced in 2024, jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings in six areas was transferred to the lower court.
The figures show that there were 580 requests for preliminary rulings from member states’ courts in 2025, with nine of these coming from the Irish courts. Italian courts were responsible for the largest number of requests (110).
The court said that litigation on restrictive measures, such as sanctions introduced due to the war in Ukraine, continued to increase, with 105 such cases before the General Court last year – up from 63 in 2024.
There was a slight increase in state-aid cases, and a slight drop in cases linked to intellectual property.