When judges of the General Court of the European Union renewed part of their line-up this month, they also reaffirmed one of their steady hands. Savvas S. Papasavvas has been re-elected Vice-President of the General Court for a new term running from 16 September 2025 to 31 August 2028, a vote of confidence in a jurist whose career bridges scholarship, practice and judicial leadership.
Born in Nicosia in 1969, Papasavvas took his first steps in law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, earning his degree in 1991. He then moved to France for postgraduate work: a diploma of advanced studies in public law at the University of Paris II (1992), followed by a doctorate at the University of Aix-Marseille III (1995), where he obtained the title of Doctor of Law.
From the Bar to the lecture theatre and the General Court
Admitted to the Cyprus Bar in 1993 and a member of the Nicosia Bar Association, he practised as a lawyer before his judicial appointment. In parallel, he taught at the University of Cyprus, first as a lecturer (1997-2002) and then, from 2002 to 2004, as a senior lecturer in constitutional law, building the academic profile that has long informed his approach to EU adjudication.
Papasavvas was appointed Judge at the General Court on 12 May 2004. He later served as President of Chamber for two consecutive terms (15 September 2010 to 25 September 2016), before being elected by his peers as Vice-President on 27 September 2019, a role he continues to hold following his re-election.
Continuity at a pivotal moment
His renewed mandate comes “following the partial replacement of the Members of the General Court,” ensuring continuity in the Court’s senior ranks as it manages a heavy caseload and an evolving regulatory landscape. For Cyprus, it also extends a notable presence in one of the EU’s key judicial bodies and for Luxembourg, it keeps in post a jurist whose CV mirrors the European project itself: national roots, cross-border training and a career devoted to the rule of law.