Eurobarometer: Citizens’ confidence in the independence of courts and judges has declined in Romania

Only 37% of Romanians have a “very good” and “fairly good” opinion about the independence of judges and courts in their country, a decrease of 3% from 2019, according to a Eurobarometer survey released on Friday, July 10, when the European Commission also published the 2020 EU Justice Scoreboard, local Agerpres reported.

The EU28 average is 56%, similar to the 2019 figure.

On the other hand, 45% of Romanians have a “fairly bad” and “very bad” opinion about the independence of judges and courts in their country. The highest share was registered in Croatia, where 68% of respondents said the independence of judges and courts is “fairly bad” and “very bad.” The EU28 average is 33%.

In Romania, the interference or pressure from government and politicians (49% of respondents) was the most stated reason for the perceived lack of independence of courts and judges.

The interference or pressure from economic or other specific interests matters a lot in this negative perception, according to 44% of respondents in Romania, while the fact that the status of judges does not guarantee their independence is equally important for 21% of respondents.

Opinion about the independence of courts and judges varies considerably among the Member States, the Eurobarometer shows. Denmark ranks first in this top, given that 86% of its population has a “very good” and “fairly good” perception of judicial independence.

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