2017 has been a particularly busy year for the Conseil d’État and the administrative courts and tribunals. In its advisory capacity, the Conseil d’État issued 1,305 opinions and studies. Despite its heavy workload, they were issued relatively quickly: almost 95% of its opinions were issued in under two months. The number of applications received in its capacity as the supreme administrative court has continued to increase at a sustained pace, as the number of new applications rose by 2.5%. However, an increase in the number of rulings has once again allowed it to clear more cases than came in and to further reduce the backlog of pending cases, which is at a record low. The administrative courts of appeal and tribunals have taken advantage of a moderate increase in the number of new cases to reduce their average case lengths.
"The Conseil d’État and the administrative courts and tribunals have shown that they are able to meet the challenges they face."
The position of the administrative tribunals is particularly encouraging, as for the very first time they have ruled on more than 200,000 cases and actively begun to clear the backlog of cases pending for over two years. There was a very sharp increase in the number of applications filed with the National Court of Asylum (up 34%), which nevertheless coped due to the significant efforts made by its judges and staff who decided more cases than in 2016. Case lengths have been reduced and are approaching the targets set by the legislator. Despite the great strain they are under, the Conseil d’État and the administrative courts and tribunals have shown that they are able to meet the tough challenges they face. I would like to thank all members and staff working in the administrative court system.
