On Thursday, 22 October, the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) published its 2020 report (2018 data) on the quality and efficiency of justice. With country profiles and an interactive database, this report details the trends at work in 45 European countries.
On average, the budget dedicated to the justice system shows a slight increase (72 euros per inhabitant, i.e., 8 euros more than in 2016). This budget is broken down as follows: 65% goes to the courts, 24% goes to public prosecution services, and 11% goes to legal aid.
All countries have complied with the requirements and case law of the European Court of Human Rights by establishing a system of legal aid in criminal and non-criminal matters so as to ensure access to justice for everyone. The richest countries have invested the most in this area.
The average number of professional judges remains stable (21 judges per 100,000 inhabitants), with significant variations between Member States.
While feminisation continues in terms of recruitment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, there is still a ‘glass ceiling’ where the highest positions are concerned. The number of lawyers is increasing (164 lawyers per 100,000 inhabitants), but the profession remains predominantly male.
The number of courts decreased by 10% between 2010 and 2018, and courts have specialized.
With regard to users of justice, more and more states are introducing information and arrangements for the most vulnerable persons, but the CEPEJ generally considers that additional resources and staff should be allocated to improving communication with users.
Digital technology has become an integral part of justice services, particularly in the more financially affluent justice systems. Nevertheless, according to the CEPEJ, these tools need to be monitored to ensure that they do not lead to failures in fairness, impartiality, and judicial independence. In any case, they are proving to be valuable, even indispensable, in the pursuit of judicial work in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CEPEJ also notes that the current trend is to outsource certain services.
In addition, it reports that, in 2018, asylum applications had a significant impact on the number of incoming cases in seven countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Spain.
See the 2020 report: https://bit.ly/34kVcxH
See country profiles: https://bit.ly/2IVoV8a
See the interactive database: https://bit.ly/2TgVb7B (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)