EU Justice Scoreboard shows that the length of court proceedings continues to decrease—or remains stable—in the majority of member states. Digitalisation of justice has also further improved with the possibility to initiate proceedings or file a claim online in almost all EU states.
The EU Justice Scoreboard is a comparative information tool, which aims to assist the EU and member states in improving the effectiveness of national justice systems. It does this by providing data on the efficiency, quality and independence of the justice systems, as well as on other indicators. It is one of several instruments in the EU’s Rule of Law toolbox, used by the Commission to monitor justice reforms undertaken by member states.
The Scoreboard contributes to identifying good practices and potential shortcomings. It shows trends in the functioning of national justice systems over time. It does not present an overall single ranking, but an overview of how all the justice systems function. This is based on various indicators that are of common interest to all member states.
Independence of courts ‘rather good’
The Scoreboard uses various indicators that examine the three main features of an effective justice system: efficiency, quality and independence.
The indicators related to the efficiency of proceedings include estimated length of judicial proceedings, clearance rate, and the number of pending cases. Easy access to justice, effective assessment tools, and the use of information and communication technologies are key factors that contribute to the quality of justice systems. The Scoreboard also examines the perception of judicial independence, both among the general public and in companies.
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A Eurobarometer survey among companies shows that in 15 member states, more than half of respondents consider that the independence of the first instance public review body is very or fairly good. In 16 member states, more than half of the respondents consider that the independence of their national competition authorities is very or fairly good.
The 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard showcases the progress made by a large majority of member states in enhancing the effectiveness of their justice systems. However, it also serves as a crucial reminder that challenges remain – Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
Regarding the length of judicial proceedings, however, big differences among member states persist. In general, average estimated times needed to resolve cases in all court instatnces (2023 data) are usually much shorter in Northern, Western, and Central Europe (Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Sweden, etc.) than in Southern European Countries like Greece, Italy, or Malta.
As an example, the average time needed to resolve litigious civil and commercial cases at all court instances in 2023 was well below 200 days in Czechia, Austria, or Sweden. Italy features at the other end of the list with 1000 days (i. e., almost three years) needed.
