Slovaks trust their courts the least among all EU citizens

Slovaks show the lowest amount of trust in the independence of their courts compared to the rest of the European Union, with the main factor in play being interference by the government and politicians in general on courts. This is according to a report presented by the EU Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova on Monday. Slovakia is among the member states with the longest processes in civil and business legal disputes; about 200 days on average, while in Denmark, which has the most trusted courts, they last 20 days. "The fifth EU Justice Scoreboard confirms that an effective judiciary is of key importance for building trust in business and an appropriate investment environment on the single market. I call on member states to carry out their reforms of the judiciary in line with the rule of law and the principles of an independent judiciary," said Jourova.

In February the European Commission reproached Slovakia for deficiencies in the independence of courts, too little progress towards greater effectiveness in the legal system and relatively poor law enforcement. The Slovak Justice Ministry has reacted by saying that it is also concerned about ordinary people's perception of court activities and plans a large-scale independent audit of the justice system. It also plans a series of law changes that will improve court procedures but has not offered more concrete details at the moment.