Climate Litigation Meets EU Transparency: Action Involving The CJEU's Access-to-Documents Regime

A newly filed action before the General Court of the European Union (Case T-489/25, Krüßmann v Court of Justice of the European Union) brings together two themes that have become increasingly prominent in EU public law: climate-related litigation and institutional transparency.

The case concerns a refusal by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), acting in its administrative capacity, to grant access to documents relating to a 2024 discussion on climate change litigation. More notably, the action also appears to challenge the legality of aspects of the CJEU's own internal rules on public access to administrative documents. As a result, the proceedings may prove relevant not only for access-to-documents practice, but also for the broader question of how far EU institutions may regulate the limits of transparency through internally adopted rules.