Despite positive developments, hurdles to justice remain

Judicial independence continues to cause concerns

• Europeans rank respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as EU’s primary asset
• Challenges to judicial independence continue to grow, underlining the need for effective coordination of efforts in this area in the EU and beyond
• Citizens and companies see government and political interference as the main reasons for the lack of independence of courts and judges

Advancing victims’ rights

• EU law sets minimum victims’ rights standards but shortcomings remain
• 2 out of 3 Member States adopted legislation to strengthen application of the Victims’ Rights Directive
• This includes more victim-friendly initiatives such as establishing separate waiting areas or better financial compensation for victims
• Some Member States also introduced or further strengthened victims’ rights awareness training for practitioners

Violence against women

• 20 EU Member States have ratified the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention to prevent and combat violence against women
• The EU continued ratifying the convention
• But, opposition remains at a political level and from national courts who are sometimes more lenient in their sentencing