Secrecy surrounding EU Court appointments comes in for renewed criticism

A new complaint has been submitted to the EU Ombudsman today about the refusal of the European Council to disclose their opinions on judges interviewed as potential new members of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

When the ECJ needs to make a new appointment, a special panel comprising lawyers, former members of the court and members of national supreme courts issue an opinion regarding the candidate’s suitability. Currently, these opinions are not made public and only shared with EU government ministers.

Given the supremacy the ECJ enjoys over national courts, and its influence on the lives of all EU citizens, campaigners have argued that the manner in which ECJ judges are appointed should be more transparent.

They argue that with faith in the EU project so low, such measures would reassure EU citizens concerned by the lack of democratic accountability and transparency in EU institutions.

As EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly said in 2015 after holding the initial investigation:

However, that investigation only lead to the release of heavily redacted documents, which revealed very little detail about the ECJ’s selection process.

As Access Info Europe stated today:

The European Union’s top civil servants and politicians know they must be more transparent if they are to regain the trust of EU citizens in time for key EU elections in 2019.

What better place to start than the most powerful court on the European continent.

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