MOSCOW, October 4 - RAPSI. The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) announced Wednesday that it has revamped its rules of procedure in order to more efficiently accommodate the growing number of cases brought before it. The new rules will take effect on November 1.

According to a statement, “Faced with a constant rise in the number of cases brought before it, dominated by references for a preliminary ruling, the Court is adapting its rules of procedure to ensure that the particular features of those cases can more readily be taken into consideration, while at the same time strengthening its ability to dispose within a reasonable period of time of all the cases that are brought before it.”

The court described two key objectives and several policy bonuses that it endeavors to attain by developing the rules, which have remained essentially intact since their 1953 adoption.

First, the court seeks to adapt to its changing caseload. The statement explains that when the rules were established, the preponderance of cases involved direct actions between natural or legal persons and a given state. Over the years, this trend has given way to a significantly different type of caseload. In the past year, references for a preliminary ruling have dominated all other types of actions brought before the court. According to the EU’s official legislation website, a reference for a preliminary ruling is a type of action that “enables national courts to question the Court of Justice on the interpretation or validity of European law.” The new rules will accommodate this particular change by establishing a separate title for such references, complete with clearer, more comprehensive rules so as to ensure they will move efficiently through the court without any unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.

Second, it seeks to ensure efficient turnaround time in the face of its expanding caseload. Accordingly, the rules will create the possibility for the court to limit the length of written pleadings that can be submitted, particularly in references for a preliminary ruling that pose no reasonable doubt. The court will further be entitled to concentrate oral pleadings on a limited number of issues, or to organize joint hearings for cases involving the same subject matter.

A number of additional measures have been taken to clarify and simplify the court’s existing practices as well.

The ECJ serves as the judicial authority of the European Union. Toward that end, it reviews the legality of official actions taken by the EU member states, ensures the adherence to and observance of relevant treaties by the member states, and interprets EU law upon the request of member states.