According to the “Justice Barometer” published by the EU Commission on Thursday, 83 percent have a “very good” or “quite good” picture of the independence of the courts and judges in Germany. In an EU comparison, however, Austria was overtaken by Finland with 89 percent and Denmark with 84 percent.
The Eurobarometer surveys show nothing of a loss of trust in the Austrian judiciary, quite the opposite. In the past five years, the figure has climbed to over 80 percent. Austria is followed by Luxembourg (78 percent), the Netherlands (77 percent) and Germany (76 percent). Croatia brings up the rear with 20 percent.
Political influence, economic pressure
Less than ten percent of those surveyed in Austria justified their distrust with the influence of politics and the economic pressure on the courts and judges. In Poland and Croatia, more than half shared this view.
Trust in the judiciary has recently suffered in many EU countries. The independence of courts and judges, perceived by the public, has declined in 14 countries over the past year, according to the EU Justice Scoreboard published in Brussels on Thursday.
“Worrying” development
EU Commission Vice Vera Jourova was alarmed: “The fact that the perception of judicial independence has declined in around half of all member states compared to the previous year is worrying and shows that we all have to act to maintain public trust in restore the justice system.”
In July, the EU Commission wants to present so-called rule of law reports on all countries. In it, she systematically analyzes the state of, for example, the separation of powers, media diversity and the independence of the judiciary in the EU countries. For the first time, the authority also wants to make recommendations on how the situation can be improved.
The survey was conducted between January 17 and 24, 2022. 25,767 people were interviewed across the EU and 1,015 in Austria.
Source: Nachrichten
