Political pressures over justice create distrust in Europe

How much trust do citizens have in the judiciary? What are the main reasons for distrust? Is the judicial system effective? These are some of the answers to questions that the European Commission has given by publishing the results of the European Judicial Barometer 2024, which shows that, overall, half of EU citizens rate the judicial system in their country poorly. Of course, the study also shows that 28% of respondents believe that their judicial system is poor due to interference or pressure from the government and its politicians.

In the case of Andorra, the latest data on the trust of residents and non-residents in the institution correspond to the political survey prepared by the Andorra Recerca + Innovación (AR+I) in spring 2022. The majority (21.2%) rated the judicial system of the Principality at 6 out of 10. This was followed by 7 (14.3%) and 5 (13.5%). All in all, the average confidence of the population is 5.5 out of 10. For non-residents, both the average score (6.3) and the individual scores are higher. In this sense, 18.3% of respondents rated the judicial system well and 13.2% approved.

Another prominent reason for distrust in the judicial system across Europe is pressure or interference from economic or other specific interests. In fact, this is a reason mentioned by 26% of respondents, while the status and position of judges is another factor of distrust for 22% of European citizens.

Likewise, one in two companies describes the independence of their country’s courts and judges as good. Conversely, one in three considers the independence of courts and judges to be poor. However, 54% of EU businesses are confident that their national laws and courts will protect their investments if problems arise, while 40% have no confidence. Respondents who consider the independence of the judicial system to be poor justify it through political interference, economic pressure or other specific interests.