Seimas approves the nomination of Tomas Davulis as a candidate for appointment as Judge of the General Court of the European Union

Press release, 28 April 2022

 

The Seimas voted in favour of a Resolution nominating Tomas Davulis as a candidate for appointment as Judge of the General Court of the European Union.

 

Parliamentarians welcomed the prospective candidate. When presenting the opinion of the Committee on European Affairs as of the lead committee, Andrius Mazuronis, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, said the following, ‘The members of the Committee underlined the very high qualifications the candidate holds and the good impression the members had gained not only from meetings with him in the Committee, but also in the discussions within the political groups’.

 

‘I support this candidate for the position of Judge of the General Court of the European Union because of his decision-making skills and high competence in dealing with substantive issues, as well as his high intelligence and cultured nature,’ said Antanas Vinkus, Member of the Seimas.

 

In presenting himself to the Members of the Seimas on 19 April 2022, Mr Davulis noted that his academic work and professional ties were very closely linked to EU law. According to the candidate, his participation in EU expert networks combined with his academic cooperation efforts have resulted in the establishment of two Master’s programmes at Vilnius University, one in Lithuanian and one in English, which focus on international (and EU) law.

 

‘I believe that by serving in this position I will fulfil one of my greatest wishes I have had since my university years, which is to contribute to the EU project and to the opportunity of building Europe as an area of justice and freedom. By seeking this nomination, as an acknowledgement of my work, I am convinced that I can represent effectively the Republic of Lithuania, contribute to the development of the EU legal system and be able to properly perform my duties as an independent judge,’ Mr Davulis said.

 

Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, has also endorsed the nomination. Eight people have applied to seek the nomination.

 

A total of 110 Members of the Seimas voted in favour of the Seimas Resolution on the approval of the nomination of Tomas Davulis as a candidate for appointment as Judge of the General Court of the European Union, none voted against it, and one Member abstained.

 

The General Court is made up of two judges from each Member State. The nomination of a candidate is first approved by the Government and then by the President of the Republic and the Seimas. A designated EU body then assesses the suitability of the candidate. Under Article 19 of the Treaty on the European Union, the Judges of the General Court of the EU are appointed by common accord of the governments of the Member States of the European Union for six years, after a Member State’s nomination has been assessed by a committee set up under Article 255 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The requirements for the Judges of the General Court are laid down in Article 254 of the TFEU.

The General Court has jurisdiction to hear and determine actions brought by natural or legal persons against acts of the EU institutions, actions brought by the Member States against the Commission and the Council, actions seeking compensation for damage caused by officials of the EU institutions, actions relating to intellectual property, etc.

 

Saulė Eglė Trembo, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected]