European Court of First Instance

The European Court of First Instance (CFI) is an independent branch of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In 2007 it was renamed the European General Court. Its purpose is to provide a second level of judicial jurisdiction which ensures fairness for individual citizens. Appeals on the Court of First Instance's rulings are sent to the Court of Justice, and can only be based on a contention over the application of specific laws.

Fast Facts

1. Also known as: European General Court
2. Year founded: 1989
3. Independent branch of the European Court of Justice
4. Current president: Marc Jaeger
5. Elected term: September 17, 2007 - August 31, 2010¹
6. Officially renamed the General Court by 2007's Treaty of Lisbon
7. Second highest court in the EU
8. Composed of 27 judges, at least one from each member state of the EU
9. Presided over the Microsoft-EU Anti-Trust Case in 2007

Microsoft Anti-Trust Case

In 2007, the Court of First Instance upheld the European Commission's 2004 contention that Microsoft had broken the EU's antitrust laws. The Court of First Instance ordered Microsoft to adhere to the European Commission's order to share computer code with competitors and to pay a fine of 497.2 million euros ($689.4 million).²

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