Ljubljana - Marko Ilešič, the Slovenian judge at the Court of the EU in Luxembourg who has been nominated for another term, said on Monday he would like to continue what he deems has been successful work there. He pointed to the importance of the court for the legal system and its cultural function.

Ilešič, who has been representing Slovenia at the court since 2004, said he had decided to run again because this was an intellectual challenge for him and because he believed that he had performed the job well so far.

There are also some external signs, such as trust expressed by his colleagues and the fact that he, as a rapporteur judge, had the main say in some of the major decisions of the court, including a 2014 ruling involving Google.

Ilešič said that the Court of the EU was not a court only in the technical sense of the word, as it also had an important cultural and civilisational function.

The candidate said he "strongly feels the obligation to return the debt to the homeland and hopes that he is returning it successfully", adding that he had provided many young Slovenian jurists with training opportunities.

He has been nominated by President Pahor after he had consulted parliamentary deputy groups. The president's office expects the vote on the candidate to be put on the agenda of the session starting on 17 May.

If Ilešič is successful, the vetting Committee 255 will only review his work in the past term, and no further scrutiny will be required, as the candidate himself explained at today's public presentation.

The appointment procedure has been dragging for almost a year, as the call for applications was published at the end of last June. Ilešič was among the seven candidates who applied.

The Judicial Council unanimously endorsed him last November, saying that he "is one of the most respected jurists ... with extensive academic and managerial experience" and a major contributor to legal theory and practice.