(CN) — The European Union's General Court welcomed three new judges Wednesday hailing from Latvia, Sweden and Malta.
There are 28 judges on the General Court, formerly known as the Court of First Instance, with each representing a different member state of the European Union.
Founded in 1989, the court hears most cases pitting individuals or EU member states against EU's various regulatory bodies, including the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
Appeals go to the European Court of Justice.
Both bodies meet in Luxembourg, a fitting center of affairs for the world's smallest continent.
Though General Court appointees serve six-year term, a statement on the newest additions — Inga Reine, Fredrik Schalin and George Xureb — say they will serve until August 2019.
Reine, 41, is from Latvia. She got her law degree from the University of Latvia, and earned a master's degree at the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democritisation in Italy.
The attorney previously worked for the Latvian National Human Rights Office, the Orginisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Latvia.
Schalin, 48, is Swedish, with law degrees from the University of Stockholm and the University of Paris. He began his judgeship at the Gotland and Norrtajie District Courts, then moved his way up that country's judicial system. He also was a professor at the University of Stockholm and the Swedish Judicial Training Academy.
Xuereb, 62, is from Malta. He got his law degree from the University of Malta, and also studied at the University of London, then got his doctorate at Cambridge. The oft-published judge also worked in the private sector before becoming the legal adviser to the Maltese Parliament.
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