site.btaJustice Systems in the EU Show Stable or Improved Independence, Commission Reports

The European Commission presented data on the state of justice systems across the European Union on Tuesday.

For the first time, the indicators included reflect the impact of judicial independence on fair and competitive markets within the single market, alongside data on digitalization and trust in justice.

The Commission said most EU citizens believe judicial independence has either improved or remained unchanged compared to the previous year.

For the first time, the European Commission has included indicators related to the functioning of the single market, due to the effect that independent judicial systems have on a fair and competitive market environment. The digitalization of European justice systems is advancing, with nine countries allowing electronic submission of evidence in civil, commercial, administrative and criminal proceedings. In 26 countries, proceedings or claims in civil and commercial matters can be initiated online.

The report shows that EU countries apply various procedures to designate review bodies for public procurement and national competition protection authorities. In 15 EU countries, more than half of companies view the independence of public procurement review bodies positively.

Eurobarometer survey data shows that over half of citizens and businesses in the EU assess judicial independence positively. The Commission has published such data since 2013 to monitor reforms related to the efficiency, quality and independence of judicial systems. These findings are expected to be included in the annual Rule of Law Report, which is due next week.

Data for Bulgaria

The Eurobarometer survey includes data on Bulgaria, assessing judicial independence as perceived by citizens and businesses. Among Bulgarian citizens, 63% doubt the independence of the judiciary (compared to 57% in the EU). A total of 93% in Bulgaria and 92% in the EU said they had not been involved in a court case in the past two years.

Only 3% of Bulgarian citizens said judicial independence in the country was very good (13% in the EU), while 24% rated it as good (41% in the EU). A total of 33% described it as poor (23% in the EU) and 30% as very poor (13% in the EU).

Among Bulgarian companies, 2% rated judicial independence as very good (12% in the EU), 25% as good (40% in the EU), 27% as poor (22% in the EU) and 31% as very poor (12% in the EU). In Bulgaria, 5% of companies (14% in the EU) said they are confident that the law and the courts will protect their investments, 36% (41% in the EU) are inclined to expect such protection, 32% (25% in the EU) are uncertain, and 22% (15% in the EU) do not expect any protection.

As reasons for their lack of trust in the judiciary, 63% of Bulgarian companies (58% in the EU) cited unpredictable and non-transparent legislation, while 56% (63% in the EU) pointed to the quality of the legislative process.