ABSTRACT

The task of ensuring that European Union( EU) law is applied in all member states in accordance with the provisions of the treaties is entrusted to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), based in Luxembourg. The ECJ itself consists of 28 judges and 11 advocates-general. The judges select one of their number to be president of the court for a renewable term of three years. In the application and interpretation of purely national laws, which make up the great bulk of cases in other courts, the European Court of Justice has no jurisdiction whatever. The court procedure involves two separate stages, one written and one oral. The case load of the court has built up steadily since its foundation in 1952. The judgments of the European Court of Justice have helped to consolidate the Union, ensuring that its citizens as well as national governments are both protected by, and subject to, the provisions of EU law.