REFORM OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 2016–2019: PREREQUISITES AND CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

Achieving the goal of Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union became more realistic after June 23, 2022, when the European Council at the summit in Brussels decided to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union. Therefore, there is a need to actively study of the main aspects of the organization and functioning of individual institutions of the European Union, in particular the Court of Justice of the European Union. The article examines the historical and legal prerequisites of the reform of the Court of Justice of the European Union, individual stages of its formation and development. Іt is indicated that the modern design of the Court of Justice of the European Union is the result of a long and dynamic evolution of the European Union itself and its institutions, their tasks, goals, aspirations. The reform in 2016–2019 went through three stages, as a result of which the number of judges at the Court of Justice of the European Union was increased, the activities of the Civil Service Tribunal were terminated, the powers of which were transferred to the General Court. The Court of Justice of the European Union in the report generally positively assessed the results of the reform and submitted relevant legislative proposals to the European Parliament and the European Council to improve its activities. Taking into account the European integration aspirations of Ukraine, with the aim of the effective further functioning of our state as a member of the European Union, it is necessary to consider the Court of Justice of the European Union as an element of the general supranational legal order and as a sufficiently independent and influential institution that forms such a legal order. At the same time, it should be remembered that upon Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the results of the law-making, law-interpreting and law-enforcing activities of the Court of Justice of the European Union will become an integral part of the domestic legal system.