Cabinet Approves Rumana's Bid for Post of Additional EGC Judge

Bratislava, February 7 (TASR) – Supreme Court judge Ivan Rumana has become Slovakia’s third candidate for the post of additional judge of the European Union’s General Court (EGC) based in Luxembourg, with the Cabinet approving his candidacy at its session on Wednesday.

At the same time the Cabinet tasked the Slovak foreign and European affairs minister with submitting Rumana’s bid to the secretary general of the Council of the EU.

Rumana, who was elected by the Judicial Council as Slovakia’s candidate to occupy the post in Luxembourg, will have to pass a hearing before the Council of the EU’s consultative committee in order to get the post. Slovakia’s two previous candidates – Maria Patakyova and Radoslav Prochazka – failed to get the post, as the committee rejected their bids.

In late 2016 the consultative committee rejected the bid of former Siet (Network) MP Radoslav Prochazka due to concerns about his personal integrity. It pointed to suspected attempts to avoid taxation on certain expenditures during his presidential campaign in 2014. Maria Patakyova, who eventually became the ombudswoman, was rejected in Luxembourg even before Prochazka due to her insufficient knowledge of French, the working language of the court.

Slovakia managed to acquire one of the 12 posts of additional judges who should have joined the court as of September 1, 2015.

The General Court is the first-instance body of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. It was set up in 1998 to provide two-stage judicial supervision in certain areas and in order to relieve the Court of Justice itself.

The General Court is made up of at least one judge from each member state (28 as of 2013, plus the additional 12 posts). The judges are appointed by common accord of the governments of member states. Their term of office is six years and is renewable. The judges appoint their president from among their own ranks for a period of three years.