Judicial independence in Europe is increasingly under severe pressure.

National judiciaries are integral part of the EU judicial system. However, in a growing number of

member states the judiciary and the prosecution are increasingly attacked by national governments,

politicized or even fully captured, thus dangerously weakening the entire EU judicial system.

The authority of the two top European courts - the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of

Human Rights - is openly called into question by national governments, while there are growing

attempts by national governments to politicize the appointment of judges to both courts. Nine EU

member state governments attempt to interfere with the judicial procedures of the European Court

of Human Rights. Meanwhile the implementation of rulings of both top courts has been in steep

decline for several years.

Judges of the International Criminal Court are victims of severe harassment, while ICC arrest

warrants are blatantly ignored. The European Public Prosecutor meets with obstruction and even

physical threats, and punitive actions from national governments and the European Commission.

Volt warns that the European Union may not yet have reached a US-style collapse of the judicial

system, but the alarming trend of eroding judicial independence must be curbed. The recently

launched “EU Democracy Shield” is not an adequate response to the threat. Volt calls for an Integral

Action Plan for bolstering judicial independence in Europe.

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