Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union

E2: Environmental statistics and accounts; sustainable development

e-mail contact : ESTAT-SDG-MONITORING@ec.europa.eu

The indicator is part of the EU Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, which is embedded in the European Commission’s Priorities under 'Promoting our European way of life' and 'A new push for European democracy'.

The SDG 16 calls for peaceful and inclusive societies based on respect for human rights, protection of the most vulnerable, the rule of law and good governance at all levels. It also envisions transparent, effective and accountable institutions, which promote non-discriminatory laws and policies, combat corruption, bribery and organised crime and prevent violence, terrorism and crime.

In addition to sufficient financial resources, judges in law courts need to be able to make decisions without interference or pressure from policy or other economic actors, to ensure that individuals and businesses can fully enjoy their rights. Respect for the rule of law is a prerequisite for the protection of all fundamental values listed in the EU Treaties, including democracy and fundamental rights. In 2020, the Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council announced the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024, which includes supporting the rule of law and the fair administration of justice among its actions.

The indicator is designed to explore respondents’ perceptions about the independence of the judiciary across EU Member States, looking specifically at the perceived independence of the courts and judges in a country. Data on the perceived independence of the justice system stem from annual Flash Eurobarometer surveys starting in 2016 on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers.

% of population

Calendar year

Indicator from non-ESS source. For assessment of accuracy please refer to the original source (see link to external data source and metadata in “Annexes”)

DG JUST (Flash Eurobarometer Survey)

Data source: Flash Eurobarometer Survey

Data provider: European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers

Every year

Indicator is updated annually.

T+1 year

New data points are disseminated within the same year as the reference year.

All EU MS

Data are presented for all EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Turkiye, Russia, the United States, Japan and South Korea.

All EU MS

Data comparable between all EU Member States respectively other presented countries.

5 to 10 years

Presented time series (including EU aggregates) starts in 2016.

> 4 data points

Length of comparable time series without methodological breaks is more than 4 data points.

Analysis of indicator is presented in Eurostat's annual monitoring report on Sustainable development in the EU (progress towards SDGs in the EU context).

See table sdg_16_40

Eurostat dedicated section on SDGs: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/sdi/overview

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