Graph VII Cases opened, closed and pending on December 31 9000 8000 7000 8521 8540 7979 8114 7342 12297 6974 6883 7119 6000 5000 4000 3000 2741 3167 2013 2014 3536 3300 2015 2016 2000 1000 0 Opened Closed Pending on December 31 From the reading of the chart above, it is evident that the increase in the number of procedures filed in 2016, of 2% compared to 2015, was in contrast to the trend of decreasing number of procedures opened in the same year (6% between the two years mentioned above). As was pointed out in the most recent annual activity reports, despite a trend towards an increase in the number of pending procedures at the end of each calendar year, the value of this increase in comparative terms has been gradually eased. In 2016, the turning point of the trend was reached, with an actual decrease in the pending procedures. Table 6 Summary of the cases assessment activity Total of cases pending since 2015 3536 Total of cases opened (and reopened) 6883 Total of cases closed and reclosed 7119 Cases opened and closed in 2016 4548 Cases pending on December 31 3300 The previous table summarizes the observations made regarding the procedures carried out in 2016. Of the 10 419 procedures investigated in 2016, in addition to those carried over from 2015 and the procedures opened in the year to which this report refers, 68,3% (7119), which is two percentage points higher than in the previous year. If we | 23