EU justice 2022: ten years of monitoring the effectiveness of justice systems

The last thursday, the European Commission has published the tenth edition of the 2022 EU Justice Scoreboard, an established annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality and independence of justice systems in the Member States. For the first time, this year’s Scoreboard also includes data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the efficiency of justice systems, as well as regarding accessibility to justice for persons with disabilities and with a strengthened business dimension.

Key findings of the 2022 Scoreboard:

• Room for improvement in the digitalisation of justice systems: While the 2021 edition already took stock of how advanced judicial authorities are in the digital transformation, the 2022 Scoreboard also takes into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Member States adopted new measures to ensure the regular functioning of courts, while also guaranteeing the continued and easy access to justice for all. Yet, findings of the 2022 edition show the need for Member States to accelerate modernisation reforms in this area, as notable room for improvement remains in some Member States.
• Varying degrees of accessibility to justice for persons with disabilities: For the first time, the 2022 EU Justice Scoreboard includes data on the arrangements in place to support persons with disabilities in accessing justice on an equal basis. Although all Member States have at least some arrangements in place (such as procedural accommodations), only half of Member States offer also specific formats, such as Braille or sign language upon request.
• Challenges persist on perception of judicial independence:Since 2016, the perception of the general public had improved in 17 Member States. However, since last year, the public perception of judicial independence has decreased in 14 Member States. In a few Member States, the level of perceived independence remains particularly low.
• Guarantees in place to boost investor confidence: Regarding access to justice and its impact on investor confidence, the business environment and functioning of the single market, the 2022 Scoreboard also included data on administrative efficiency, legal safeguards in relation to administrative decisions and confidence in investment protection. Findings show that almost all Member States have measures in place for companies to receive financial compensation for losses caused by administrative decisions or inaction, and courts may suspend the enforcement of administrative decisions upon request.

 

The 2022 EU JUSTICE SCOREBOARD

Next steps

The information contained in the EU Justice Scoreboard contributes to the monitoring carried out within the framework of the European Rule of Law Mechanism, and the findings will feed into the Commission’s 2022 Rule of Law Report. The 2022 EU Justice Scoreboard has been further developed to address the need for additional comparative information (such as a new figure on national security checks for judges), identified during the preparation of the 2021 Rule of Law Report. The Scoreboard’s data are also used for the monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans.

More information: Press release – European Commission