On Wednesday 5 October the Council of Europe published a report on the efficiency of justice in Europe based on data from 2020.
The report covers 44 Member States, as Liechtenstein and San Marino were unable to provide the necessary data to the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ).
It identifies the main trends in European judicial systems and details them through “country profiles”.
Among these trends, the CEPEJ notes a “steady but uneven” increase in budgets dedicated to justice. In 2020, States spend an average of €79 per capita on their judicial system, which is €7 more than in 2018.
The number of judges has also risen and there is an increasing number of female judges and prosecutors. However, they remain under-represented in the highest positions.
More resources and staff should be devoted to better communication with users of justice, says the CEPEJ, which also highlights the increasing budgets devoted to computerisation.
The report notes that in 2020 “the number of incoming cases relating to asylum seekers and to the right of entry and stay for aliens has decreased, even though it remains high”.
Link to the CEPEJ report: https://aeur.eu/f/3fd (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)