The Court can sit as a full Court (assemblée plenière), a Full Bench (or Grand Chamber after French grande chambre) of 13 judges, or as smaller divisional benchs of three or five judges. Full Court sittings are quite rare with instead three or five-judge benchs being the norm. Each division elects its own President of Division who serves for a term of three years in five-judge divisions or for one year in three-judge divsions.
The Court is required to sit as a full Court in rare instances provided for in governing treaties. However, the Court may also convene a full Court when the issues before the Court are of unusual importance. Sitting as a Grand Chamber is more common and generally occurs on the petition of a member state or European Union institution as a party to the case or in particularly complex or important cases.
The Court adjudicates in benchs; therefore, decisions are those of the Court rather than of individual judges. As a rule, dissenting opinions are not issued, and the Court’s Benchs appear to operate on the basis of unanimity.