According to the EU Justice Scoreboard 2026 the Czech Republic Performs Exceptionally Well on Most Indicators
The European Commission has released the latest edition of its annual report, the EU Justice Scoreboard 2026. The document is made up of data collected by the European Commission in co-operation with the group of contact persons on national justice systems. Other sources include the Council of Europe's European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary, the Network of Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the EU, the Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the EU, the European Competition Network, Eurostat, and others.
This comparative overview tracks a wide range of indicators, including, to name a few: the ratio of resolved cases to incoming cases, the length of proceedings at different levels of the justice system, perceived judicial independence by private companies and the general public, or the Member States' total expenditures on judicial courts. Traditionally, the Scoreboard relies on indicators examining three main dimensions of an effective justice system, namely efficiency, quality and independence.
We kindly bring to your attention the following conclusions relating to the Czech Republic:
In terms of the number of incoming civil and commercial litigious cases per capita, the Czech Republic ranked fourth, just as it did the previous year, behind Romania, Belgium, and Spain. The opposite was true for administrative court cases, where we remain in the penultimate rank.
In 2024, the Czech judiciary continued to perform well in terms of the estimated time needed to resolve litigious civil and commercial cases at first instance, where we remain in second place in comparison with other European countries. The estimated time is therefore still being successfully kept below 150 days. The estimated length of proceedings in litigious civil and commercial cases at all instances – from district courts to the Supreme Court – also remains very favourable, and the Czech Republic ranks third in this regard.
Furthermore, the estimated time needed to resolve administrative cases at first instance is likewise decreasing – here, as was the case last year, the Czech Republic has again moved up one spot in 2024 compared to 2023 and now ranks seventh. Significant progress has also been made when comparing the length of proceedings in the administrative judiciary across both levels – that is, before regional courts and the Supreme Administrative Court – where the Czech administrative judiciary ranks as the fourth fastest among EU Member States.
The comparative overview has nevertheless identified certain areas in which the Czech judiciary could improve. These include, in particular, the implementation of child-friendly measures in both civil and criminal proceedings involving children, whether as victims, suspects or defendants. When it comes to measures in this area, the Czech Republic still has room for improvement. Compared to many other EU Member States, we lack, for example, special training for court personnel who work with children, wider availability of alternatives to legal proceedings, special precautionary measures for child victims where the alleged offender is a parent or another person in a comparable position, or specifically child-friendly designed websites providing children with information about the justice system.
Once again, the data on the perception of the judiciary's independence – whether as viewed by the general public or by private companies – is very encouraging. Among the general public, this confidence increased by another 5% in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching approximately 70%. Among businesses as well, the perceived level of judicial independence remains very good at around 60%.
Last but not least, in 2024 – as in previous reporting periods – our judicial system continued to represent a relatively small financial burden for the national budget compared to other European countries. In terms of per capita judicial expenditures, we remain in the bottom third, and judicial spending continues to account for less than 0.3% of GDP.
EU Justice Scoreboard 2026 is accessible in English here.