20That being so, where it is clear in the case before it, without there being any need for the parties to adduce evidence in that regard, that the General Court breached, in a sufficiently serious manner, its obligation to adjudicate on the case within a reasonable time, the Court of Justice may note that fact. In the present case, the duration of the proceedings before the General Court, amounting to almost four years and seven months, including, in particular, a period of more than three years and five months which elapsed between the end of the written procedure, which occurred after the Commission had lodged its statement in defence, and the opening of the oral procedure, cannot be justified by any of the circumstances specific to the case which gave rise to the present dispute.
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