According to settled caselaw, in order to determine whether the body making a reference is a court or tribunal for the purposes of Article 234 EC, it is necessary to take account of a number of factors, such as whether the body is established by law, whether it is permanent, whether its jurisdiction is compulsory, whether it applies rules of law 9and whether it is independent and impartial.
Väljakujunenud kohtupraktika kohaselt tuleb selleks, et hinnata, kas eelotsusetaotluse esitanud organi puhul on tegemist kohtuga EÜ artikli 234 tähenduses, arvestada paljusid asjaolusid, sealhulgas organi õiguslikku alust, alalisust, otsuste kohustuslikkust, õigusnormide kohaldamist organi poolt 9ning tema sõltumatust 10.