Decision of the Court of Justice of 1 April 2025 on the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings [2025/857]
Date: 2025-04-01
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: Internet site, broadcasting, information technology applications, judgment of the Court (EU), legal hearing, member of the Court of Justice (EU), opinion of the Court of Justice (EU)




L_202500857EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/857


12.5.2025







            DECISION OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE
         
of 1 April 2025
         
on the rules and arrangements for implementing the broadcasting of hearings [2025/857]


THE COURT,

Having regard to the Protocol on the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘the Statute’), and in particular Article 31 thereof,


Having regard to the Rules of Procedure, and in particular Article 80a thereof,


Having regard to the Practice Directions to parties concerning cases brought before the Court, and in particular points 66, 88 and 89 thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


As the areas covered by European Union law become increasingly varied, the Court of Justice is receiving a growing number of cases and is called upon to adopt decisions that often have a real impact on the everyday life of Union citizens. In that context, it is essential to promote a better understanding of the role of the Court and its activities and to ensure wider access to the pleas, arguments and observations submitted by parties during hearings of oral argument, as well as to Opinions of the Advocates General and judgments delivered by the Court.












(2)


While attendance at Court hearings is certainly an ideal means of achieving that goal, in-person participation in such hearings 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 is appropriate, therefore, to use the opportunities technology offers and to provide for certain hearings to be broadcast via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union.












(3)


In view of the specific nature of the judicial function and, in particular, the need to ensure that proceedings during hearings of oral argument are undisturbed, a distinction must be drawn between those hearings and hearings at which Opinions of the Advocates General or judgments are delivered.












(4)


It is also necessary to specify, first, the nature of, and arrangements for, the broadcasting undertaken, taking due account of personal data protection requirements, and, second, the conditions of use of video recordings of hearings, which are linked to the need to ensure the practical effect of the provisions set out in Article 80a(5) to (7) of the Rules of Procedure.





HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:



Article 1

Scope of this Decision


1.   The provisions of this Decision implement Article 80a of the Rules of Procedure.


2.   This Decision applies to the broadcasting of hearings for the delivery of judgments of the Court of Justice and of Opinions of the Advocates General. It applies equally to the broadcasting of hearings of oral argument, provided that the conditions referred to in Article 80a of the Rules of Procedure are satisfied.



Article 2

Broadcasting of hearings for the delivery of judgments or Opinions


1.   The delivery of judgments of the Court and Opinions of its Advocates General shall be broadcast live via the website of the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘the Institution’), on the date fixed for such delivery.


2.   The broadcast shall take place in the language used by the speaker to deliver the judgment or Opinion and, as the case may be, in the other language(s) available during the hearing concerned.


3.   Unless the Court decides otherwise, the recordings of hearings for the delivery of judgments or Opinions shall remain available on the website of the Institution.


4.   Those recordings shall be stored by the Court for archiving and communication purposes.



Article 3

Broadcasting of hearings of oral argument


1.   Hearings of oral argument which are broadcast shall be broadcast, after the hearing, via the website of the Institution.


2.   The broadcasting of hearings of oral argument shall take place in the language of the case and in all languages in respect of which provision has been made for simultaneous interpretation.


3.   Without prejudice to Article 80a(6) and (7) of the Rules of Procedure, the video recordings of hearings that have been broadcast shall remain available on the website of the Institution for a period of one month after the close of the hearing, after which they will no longer be available on that website and will be stored by the Court for archiving purposes.


4.   Where a party or an interested person referred to in Article 23 of the Statute considers that the video recording of a hearing in which he or she took part should be removed from that website, he or she shall inform the Court of this as soon as possible, setting out the circumstances that justify that removal. If the Court grants that request, the recording concerned shall be removed from the website forthwith. The Court may also remove a recording of its own motion, where this is justified by the circumstances of the case.



Article 4

Arrangements for the broadcasting of hearings


1.   Save in exceptional cases, the broadcasting of hearings to which this Decision relates shall be in full.


2.   The participants in a hearing before the Court that is to be broadcast, whether they are parties, interested persons referred to in Article 23 of the Statute or any other person, shall be duly informed of the broadcasting of that hearing and 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 5

Nature of the broadcast and conditions of use of video recordings of hearings


1.   The broadcasting of a hearing of the Court via the website of the Institution shall not, in any circumstances, constitute an authentic recording or an official record of that hearing; nor shall it constitute the minutes thereof.


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 Institution is reserved. It shall therefore be prohibited to record, save or upload, in any form, all or part of a hearing of the Court that is broadcast via the website of the Institution, 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 the Court shall also be prohibited.



Article 6

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, 1 April 2025.


Registrar

A. CALOT ESCOBAR
            



President

K. LENAERTS
            





ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/proc_rules/2025/857/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)