The Procedure Before the Court of Justice of the European Communities

The Court of Justice of the European Communities has inspired much legal writing, including many books and articles in English. Particular attention has been paid to its jurisdiction and general organization, much less to its procedure. But Professor Sereni has pointed out that differences in the domestic procedural laws of states appearing before an international court may cause difficulties in the work of the international tribunal itself. It therefore may be of interest to review briefly some aspects of the procedure of a court which is perhaps not an international tribunal in the strict sense of the word, but in which sovereign states, supranational organizations and private individuals appear and plead far more frequently than in the International Court of Justice. The brief discussion of the Court\u27s organization and jurisdiction which will preface the discussion of procedure in the narrow sense is intended mainly as background