On 5 September 2018, the representatives of the governments of the member states appointed Mr Gerard Hogan (Ireland) as advocate-general to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The appointment was made as part of the partial renewal of the composition of the Court of Justice, which takes place every three years. The partial renewal will see the term of office of 14 judges and five advocates-general expire on 6 October 2018.

With the appointment of Mr Hogan, the Council has, since February 2018, appointed a total of 12 judges and four advocates-general for a term of office running from 7 October 2018 to 6 October 2024.

The following judges have been appointed:

Mr Alexander Arabadjiev (Bulgaria, reappointed)

Mr Jean-Claude Bonichot (France, reappointed)

Mr Thomas von Danwitz (Germany, reappointed)

Mr Carl Gustav Fernlund (Sweden, reappointed)

Mr Irmantas Jarukaitis (Lithuania, newly appointed)

Mr Egils Levits (Latvia, reappointed)

Mr Constantinos Lycourgos (Cyprus, reappointed)

Mr Jiří Malenovský (Czech Republic, reappointed)

Ms Alexandra (Sacha) Prechal (Netherlands, reappointed)

Mr Nuno José Cardoso da Silva Piçarra (Portugal, newly appointed)

Ms Lucia Serena Rossi (Italy, newly appointed)

Mr Peter George Xuereb (Malta, newly appointed)

The four appointments as advocate-general include:

Mr Yves Bot (France, reappointed)

Mr Gerard Hogan (Ireland, newly appointed)

Mr Giovanni Pitruzzella (Italy, newly appointed)

Mr Maciej Szpunar (Poland, reappointed)

Another two judges (from Austria and the UK), as well as one advocate-general (from Estonia) still need to be appointed to complete the 2018 partial renewal.

As provided for in the Statute of the Court of Justice, the current judges from Austria and the UK and the advocate-general from Sweden will continue to hold office until their successors are appointed and take up their duties.

Background

The Court of Justice is composed of one judge from each member state and eleven advocates-general. The judges and advocates-general are appointed for a term of office of six years, which is renewable. Every three years there is a partial replacement of judges and advocates-general.

The judges and advocates-general are appointed by common accord of the governments of the member states after consultation of a panel responsible for giving an opinion on prospective candidates' suitability to perform the duties concerned. They are chosen from among individuals whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the qualifications required for appointment, in their respective countries, to the highest judicial offices, or who are of recognised competence.