This year a high number of cases was brought before the Court of Justice, in particular in terms of requests for a
preliminary ruling.
The number of cases pending before the Court of Justice was stable (1 111 cases in 2022 as against 1 113 cases in
2021). The number of completed cases in 2022 slightly exceeded the number of new cases brought that year
As regards the duration of proceedings, it may be seen that an increasing number of cases brought before the
Court of Justice raise sensitive and complex issues, calling for greater reflection and time. However, as a
result of the increased use of orders, particularly in the matter of appeals, the overall duration of proceedings (16.4
months) remained similar to that of the previous year (16.6 months). That said, as a sign of the greater complexity of
the questions submitted to the Court of Justice, a slight increase in the average duration of preliminary ruling
proceedings may be observed (17.3 months, as against 16.7 months in 2021).
As regards the origin of the references for a preliminary ruling, it may be noted that, in 2022, the German (98),
Italian (63), Bulgarian (43), Spanish (41) and Polish (39) courts made the highest number of requests for a
preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice.
Source: curia.europa.eu
