The European Commission publishes the 2018 EU Justice Scoreboard which gives a comparative overview of the independence, quality and efficiency of justice systems in the EU Member States.

Key findings of the 2018 edition include:

• Judicial independence: Businesses' perception of independence has improved or remained stable in about two-thirds of Member States, when compared with the previous year or since 2010, but it also has decreased in some countries. Both citizens and companies see the interference or pressure from government and politicians, as main reason for lack of independence of courts and judges. The new indicator on the organisation of prosecution services shows that there is a widespread tendency towards a more independent prosecutor's office, rather than one subordinated or linked to the executive.
• Financial resources to judicial systems: Overall, the level of general government expenditure on the judicial system remained stable in most Member States but wide differences between countries exist. Member States use mostly historical or actual cost for determining financial resources instead of relying on the actual workload or court request. 16 Member States used EU funds for supporting their justice systems.
• Efficiency of the justice system: Positive developments in the Member States facing challenges may be observed, but civil and commercial proceedings still remain very long in several Member States. In the area of anti-money laundering, court proceedings in first instance take up to a year on average, in about half of the Member States. They can take on average even two or more years in a number of Member States.

>> Factsheet with more detials on individual Member States.

>> Full press release.