Independence and accountability of the judiciary: ENCJ survey on the independence of judges

Abstract

The survey among the judges of Europe took place for the third time this year. In total 11,355 judges from 27 judiciaries of 25 countries participated. The target for participation was set at 15%, which most judiciaries (easily) achieved. The analysis of personal and professional charateristics in relation to perception of independence shows that per judiciary judges hold similar views. One of the main findings is that judges generally evaluate their independence positively. On a 10-point scale judges rate the independence of the judges in their country on average between 6.5 and 9.8.