Introduction
The European Commission has released the twelfth edition of the EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual report that provides indicators and trends on the performance of national justice systems over time. Each year, the Justice Scoreboard offers a comprehensive summary of data on three fundamental components of effective national justice systems: efficiency, quality, and independence.
This year’s Scoreboard features several new figures on the accessibility of justice. The 2024 edition also introduces, for the first time, specific new figures on judicial independence, such as the appointment processes for court presidents, national frameworks for asset declarations, and the dismissal procedures for Prosecutors General.
As highlighted, a large number of Member States have continued their efforts to further improve the effectiveness of their justice systems. Figure 1 indicates that Cyprus has engaged in legislative and regulatory activities concerning its justice system in 2023. Specifically, Cyprus has adopted measures in various categories, including procedural law, the council for the judiciary, redesigning the judicial map, court specialisation, ICT in the justice system, and judicial matters. Additionally, certain initiatives such as ADR methods, the administration of courts, and legal aid are currently under negotiation. Despite these efforts, Cyprus remains at the lower end of the spectrum compared to other EU member states in terms of the number and scope of adopted and planned measures. Figure 1 is foreshadowing Cyprus’ performance which as provided by the 2024 EU Justice Scoreboard, it is the worst in the EU.
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