Establishment of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities (General Court)

By Decision of the Council, the Court of First Instance of the European Communities is established, with the primary jurisdiction to hear certain actions brought by natural or legal persons, at first instance, such as actions by civil servants. Its establishment was envisaged by the Single European Act (which was signed on 17 February 1986 in Luxembourg and in The Hague on 28 February 1986 and entered into force on 1 July 1987), and the objectives of its establishment were: Firstly, to alleviate the heavy workload of the Court of Justice of the Communities, which was the only judicial body operating for the Communities, so that it could effectively deal with its primary mission, namely the uniform interpretation and application of Community law. Secondly, to improve judicial protection for litigants (citizens) through a two-tier jurisdiction. It began operations on 1 September 1989.
Source: CVCE.eu
With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, it was renamed the General Court.
Together with the Court of Justice, the General Court is one of the EU’s judicial bodies that constitute the Court of Justice of the European Union. The purpose of these courts is to ensure the uniform interpretation and application of EU law. Decisions of the General Court can be appealed to the Court of Justice, but only on points of law.
The General Court is responsible for hearing:
a) cases brought by individuals or companies against acts of EU institutions which directly and individually concern or affect them, including cases concerning employment relations between EU institutions and their staff as well as appeals related to intellectual property rights;
b) actions brought by EU Member States against the European Commission;
c) actions brought by EU Member States against certain acts of the Council;
d) actions for damages caused by EU institutions or bodies.
The number of judges in the General Court is two per EU Member State. Judges are appointed for a 6-year term with the possibility of renewal by common accord of the governments of the EU Member States. The judges appoint a Registrar for a term of 6 years.