site.bta17 Apply to Sit as Judges at European General Court

Seventeen candidates have submitted documents to participate in the national procedure for selecting two judges to the General Court of the European Union. The deadline for applications expired on April 24, the press center of the Justice Ministry said on Monday.

Among the candidates are lawyers, judges, and law professors. Some of them are employees of the European Commission and the European Parliament, and there are also legal assistants at the Court of Justice of the EU.

The full list of candidates’ names has been published on the website of the Justice Ministry.

This was the first stage of the procedure, announced by Minister Andrey Yankulov.

A selection committee is to be formed to conduct the procedure. It will include professionals with expertise in EU law and knowledge of the French language, nominated by the country’s law faculties, the presidents of the supreme courts, and the Supreme Bar Council. It will include two sitting judges and an academic scholar in the field of EU law.

The next stages of the procedure are assessment of candidates’ eligibility, public hearings with those admitted, evaluation, ranking, and announcement of the candidates selected by the committee. They will then be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval, which will take place after the term of the caretaker government.

The General Court, which consists of 54 judges, two from each Member State, is a constituent court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It hears actions taken against the institutions of the European Union by individuals and member states, although certain matters are reserved for the European Court of Justice. hears all cases in which individuals, companies, or organizations challenge acts or decisions of EU bodies, as well as actions brought by Member States against the European Commission. The General Court also rules on preliminary references related to VAT, customs duties, excise duties, passenger compensation, and other matters, the statement says.