Ireland among best in Europe for perceived judicial independence

The 2024 EU Justice Scoreboard shows that the public’s perception of judicial independence has improved across the continent, including in countries that had experienced systemic challenges.

In Ireland, more than seven in 10 people (71 per cent) rated the independence of courts and judges as either very good or fairly good, while 18 per cent said it was very bad or fairly bad — the seventh best ranking of all EU member states.

The figures represent a very slight decline on 2016, when 75 per cent rated Ireland’s judicial independence as fairly good or very good, and 20 per cent

Věra Jourová, the European Commission’s vice-president for values and transparency, said: “The latest EU Justice Scoreboard shows that our efforts to strengthen judicial independence across the EU are bearing fruit. By highlighting key areas for improvement and celebrating progress, we aim to foster trust in our legal institutions and ensure that justice is independent and accessible to all.

“Over the last 12 years, the scoreboard has proven to be a reliable tool to keep stock of our progress and to identify areas of potential improvement across member states, contributing to our efforts to further safeguard the rule of law and support the rights of citizens and businesses alike.”