Foreword

• Pages: 5-5

The EU Justice Scoreboard is a key component of the EU’s rule of law policy. The com-

parative data in the Scoreboard on the independence, quality and efficiency of justice

systems in all Member States will feed into the first annual EU Rule of Law Report, one

of the major initiatives of the Commission’s Work Programme for 2020. The Justice

Scoreboard and the Rule of Law Report complement each other. Whilst the Scoreboard

presents a comparative overview of EU justice systems, the Rule of Law Report will pro-

vide a country specific synthesis of significant developments in Member States. It will

be a preventive tool for monitoring rule of law challenges in the EU and for sharing best

practices.

Now more than ever, Member States need to learn from each other to improve the ef-

fectiveness of their justice systems in line with European standards. This is what the EU

Justice Scoreboard is about. It contributes to identifying potential shortcomings, improve-

ments and good practices. Improving the independence, quality and efficiency of justice

systems is crucial for upholding the rule of law and ensuring that citizens and businesses

can fully enjoy their rights. It is also indispensable for strengthening mutual trust and

building a business and investment-friendly environment. For this reason, the EU Justice

Scoreboard has become a key reference for the European Semester.

The Scoreboard would not achieve its high level of quality and reliability without the ex-

cellent cooperation with the judiciaries in Member States, the Council of Europe’s Europe-

an Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and European judicial networks such

as the European Network of Councils of the Judiciary (ENCJ), the Network of Presidents

of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the EU (NPSJC) and the Association of the Councils of

State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the EU (ACA-Europe).

This year’s Scoreboard sheds further light on the functioning of justice systems in the EU

Member States. It also presents further developed indicators, particularly on child-friendly

justice, court fees for commercial cases and the recoverability of legal fees, as well as

the availability of judgments in machine-readable format which contribute to developing

user-friendly search facilities that make case law more accessible to legal professionals

and the public. As in previous editions, the 2020 edition of the Scoreboard also presents

data from two Eurobarometer surveys on how judicial independence is perceived by the

public and by companies in each Member State.

The 2020 EU Justice Scoreboard shows a continued improvement in the effectiveness of

justice systems in a large majority of Member States. Nevertheless, challenges remain to

ensure the full trust of citizens in the legal systems of Member States where guarantees

of status and position of judges might be at risk and subsequently their independence.

I am proud to present this EU Justice Scoreboard - the first of the von der Leyen Com-

mission. Over the next years of the Commission’s mandate, we plan to develop the Score-

board further, as well as all the instruments in our rule of law toolbox. Upholding the rule

of law is a matter of common interest and of utmost importance for the future of the EU.

Didier Reynders

European Commissioner for Justice

Foreword