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Document 32026D01349
Decision of the General Court of 29 April 2026 on the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered [2026/1349]
Decision of the General Court of 29 April 2026 on the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered [2026/1349]
Decision of the General Court of 29 April 2026 on the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered [2026/1349]
OJ L, 2026/1349, 22.6.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_rules/2026/1349/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
In force
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Official Journal |
EN L series |
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2026/1349 |
22.6.2026 |
DECISION OF THE GENERAL COURT
of 29 April 2026
on the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered
[2026/1349]
THE GENERAL COURT,
Having regard to Article 110a(8) and Article 219(8) of its Rules of Procedure (1),
Whereas:
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(1) |
In order to take account of developments in communication technology, and taking into consideration the need to bring European justice closer to citizens of the Union, the General Court considers it appropriate to broadcast some of its judicial activities via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union; |
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(2) |
The broadcasting, via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union, of certain hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered in relation to cases before the General Court would enable interested persons to follow those judicial activities of the General Court without needing to attend in person, which is not always possible, either because of the travel involved or for other reasons relating, in particular, to the personal, economic or financial situation of the persons concerned. It would thus promote a better understanding of the role of the General Court and its activities, ensure wider access to the pleas, arguments and observations submitted, by the parties and the interested persons referred to in Article 23 of the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘the Statute’), during hearings of oral argument, and increase the transparency of the decision-making process; |
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(3) |
Articles 110a and 219 of the Rules of Procedure provide for the possibility of broadcasting hearings in direct actions and in references for a preliminary ruling, respectively. Each of those articles provides, in paragraph 8 thereof, that the General Court is to determine the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings by way of a decision, which is to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union; |
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(4) |
Article 246(5) of the Rules of Procedure provides that the provisions of Article 110a and Article 219 concerning the broadcasting of hearings are to apply only after the entry into force of the decision referred to, respectively, in Article 110a(8) and Article 219(8) of the Rules of Procedure; |
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(5) |
On 5 February 2025, the General Court adopted a decision (2) on the broadcasting of the delivery of judgments or Opinions under Article 110a(8) and Article 219(8) of the Rules of Procedure, without prejudice to a subsequent decision concerning the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument; |
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(6) |
It is therefore necessary to lay down the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument, in respect of which specific provisions are required in view, in particular, of the need to ensure that proceedings during hearings of oral argument are undisturbed. However, for reasons of consistency and simplicity, it is deemed appropriate for a single decision to contain the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered. It is therefore necessary to repeal the decision of 5 February 2025 referred to above; |
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(7) |
It is necessary to ensure that personal data are protected when hearings of oral argument and hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered are broadcast; |
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(8) |
In the light of the fact that information relating to judicial proceedings published on the internet may be referenced and subsequently found using search engines, the attention of the parties and the interested persons referred to in Article 23 of the Statute is drawn to Articles 66, 66a and 201 of the Rules of Procedure, |
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
Subject matter and scope
This Decision determines the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting, via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union, of hearings of oral argument and of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered in relation to cases before the General Court.
Article 2
Identification of hearings to be broadcast
1. The Chamber shall decide, after hearing the Advocate General, whether a hearing of oral argument is to be broadcast.
2. The President of the General Court shall decide, after hearing the President of the Chamber, whether a hearing in which a judgment is delivered is to be broadcast. He shall also decide, after hearing the Advocate General, whether a hearing in which an Opinion is delivered is to be broadcast.
Article 3
Broadcasting of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered
1. When a hearing in which a judgment or Opinion is delivered is to be broadcast, the parties and the interested persons referred to in Article 23 of the Statute shall be so informed.
2. Hearings in which judgments and Opinions are delivered shall be broadcast live via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the date fixed for such delivery.
3. The broadcasting shall take place in the language used by the speaker to deliver the judgment or Opinion, and in all the languages in respect of which provision has been made for simultaneous interpretation.
4. Unless the President of the General Court decides otherwise, video recordings of hearings in which judgments or Opinions are delivered shall remain available on the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
5. Where a hearing in which a judgment or Opinion is delivered has been broadcast, the video recording shall be stored on the servers used by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
6. Video recordings stored in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall be kept by the Court of Justice of the European Union for archiving purposes and may be used by it for communication purposes or forwarded, on request, to third parties.
Article 4
Broadcasting of hearings of oral argument
1. When a hearing of oral argument is to be broadcast, the parties and the interested persons referred to in Article 23 of the Statute shall be informed of the broadcasting of that hearing and of the possibility afforded to each of them under Article 110a(3) and Article 219(3) of the Rules of Procedure to request that that hearing not be broadcast.
2. The hearing of oral argument shall be broadcast, with a delay, via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
3. That broadcasting shall take place in the language used by the speaker, and in all the languages in respect of which provision has been made for simultaneous interpretation.
4. Without prejudice to Article 110a(6) and (7) and Article 219(6) and (7) of the Rules of Procedure, video recordings of hearings of oral argument that have been broadcast shall remain available on the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union for a period of one month after the close of the hearing, unless the President of the Chamber decides otherwise.
5. Where a hearing of oral argument has been broadcast, the video recording shall be stored on the servers used by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
6. Video recordings stored in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall be kept by the Court of Justice of the European Union for archiving purposes.
Article 5
Technical aspects
1. The broadcasting shall be carried out by the relevant departments of the Court of Justice of the European Union by means of a secure system administered or used by it.
2. The broadcasting shall be accessible for all users of the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union, without the need for prior registration.
Article 6
Nature of the broadcast and conditions of use of video recordings
1. The broadcasting, via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union, of hearings of oral argument and hearings in which a judgment or Opinion is delivered shall not, in any circumstances, constitute an official record.
2. Simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings in a hearing of oral argument, available as needed, is intended to facilitate communication during such hearings and shall not constitute an official record of the proceedings. Only those statements made in the courtroom shall be authentic.
3. Copyright in video recordings made available via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union is reserved. It shall therefore be prohibited to record, save or upload, in any form, all or part of a hearing of oral argument or a hearing in which a judgment or Opinion of the General Court is delivered that has been broadcast, whether images or sound, including the sound of the various interpretation channels. The retransmission, in any form, of all or part of a hearing of oral argument or a hearing in which a judgment or Opinion of the General Court is delivered shall also be prohibited.
Article 7
Protection of personal data
1. Internal control mechanisms concerning the processing of personal data in connection with the judicial functions of the General Court shall apply to measures adopted to implement the broadcasting.
2. The participants in a hearing before the General Court that is to be broadcast shall be duly informed of the broadcasting of that hearing. Measures shall be taken, within the courtroom, to minimise the collection of images and personal data. Accordingly, certain seats, duly identified, shall be excluded from the field of view of the cameras.
Article 8
Repeal
This Decision shall replace the Decision of the General Court of 5 February 2025 on the broadcasting of the delivery of judgments or Opinions under Article 110a(8) and Article 219(8) of the Rules of Procedure.
Article 9
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the first day of the month following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Done at Luxembourg, 29 April 2026.
Registrar
V. DI BUCCI
President
M. VAN DER WOUDE
(1) Rules of procedure of the General Court of 4 March 2015 (OJ L 105, 23.4.2015, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_rules/2015/423/oj) as last amended on 10 July 2024 (OJ L, 2024/2095, 12.8.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_internal/2024/2095/oj); corrigendum OJ L, 2024/90835, 23.12.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_internal/2024/2095/corrigendum/2024-12-23/oj.
(2) Decision of the General Court of 5 February 2025 on the broadcasting of the delivery of judgments or Opinions under Article 110a(8) and Article 219(8) of the Rules of Procedure (OJ L, 2025/436, 3.3.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/436/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_rules/2026/1349/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)