Evaluation of European Judicial Systems

The Council of Europe’s Commission for the Efficiency of Justice published its report on the evaluation of European judicial systems last week.

From the Council of Europe press release:

"The report, comprising data for 45 European states, provides the Council of Europe with a real snapshot of justice in Europe. This is a unique process in Europe. Collecting and analysing these essential data should enable decision-makers and the judicial community to understand the major trends in judicial organisation, pinpoint the difficulties and help implement reforms to improve the efficiency of justice."

"The report gives a comparative description of public spending on the judicial system, the relationship between judicial systems and their users, and the organisation of courts and of judicial staff. The data collected show, for example, that the legal aid system seems very limited in certain member states considering that it is a requirement of the European Court of Human Rights. It is also noted that few member states have definite, accurate data on the duration of judicial proceedings, although failure to observe reasonable time is the principal argument in the cases brought before the Strasbourg Court. The study also shows that there are wide geographical disparities in Europe as regards measures to protect vulnerable persons."

Full report (217 pages)

Also see the country-by-country results (Albania to Ukraine)