Where a question referred to the Court for a preliminary ruling is identical to a question on which the Court has already ruled, where the answer to such a question may be clearly deduced from existing case-law or where the answer to the question admits of no reasonable doubt, the Court may, after informing the court or tribunal which referred the question to it, after hearing any observations submitted by the persons referred to in Article 20 of the EC Statute, Article 21 of the Euratom Statute and Article 103(3) of these Rules and after hearing the Advocate-General, give its decision by reasoned order in which, if appropriate, reference is made to its previous judgment or to the relevant case-law.'
Kadar je vprašanje, ki je poslano Sodišču v predhodno odločanje, enako vprašanju, o katerem je Sodišče že odločalo, kadar se odgovor na tako vprašanje lahko jasno zaključi iz obstoječe sodne prakse ali kadar odgovor na vprašanje ne dovoljuje resnega dvoma, lahko Sodišče po obvestilu sodišča ali tribunala, ki mu je poslalo vprašanje, po obravnavi vseh pripomb, ki so jih predložile osebe iz člena 20 Statuta ES, člena 21 Statuta Euratom in člena 103(3) tega Poslovnika, ter po zaslišanju generalnega pravobranilca, izreče svoj sklep z utemeljeno odredbo, v kateri se po potrebi sklicuje na svojo prejšnjo sodbo ali ustrezno sodno prakso.«