Spain is one of the EU countries that invest the most in justice and is among the most advanced in applying the latest information and communication technologies to this public service. This is reflected in the new edition of the EU Justice Indicators Chart published annually by the European Commission. That enormous economic effort and modernization, as in previous years, does not translate into a significant increase in citizens’ trust in the independence of judges and magistrates. It also does not resolve the perennial judicial backlog or the system’s response times, which remain practically stagnant.
“Our judicial system is among the leaders in values such as online accessibility of information about the judicial system”
Spain is the ninth EU country that invests the most in justice relative to its GDP. Among the major euro area economies, only Germany surpasses it, albeit with very similar data. Public spending on courts and tribunals by the State and autonomous communities—its main providers—exceeds that of Italy and, by a larger margin, that of France, the Netherlands, Austria or Belgium. If investment in this public service is related to the total population, Spain falls to mid-table in expenditure per inhabitant, far from Germany, but in the same range as Italy, France or Belgium.
Much of the funds allocated to the administration of justice have gone toward modernizing the system technologically, which has positioned Spain as one of the best-placed states across all indicators related to digitization. Our judicial system is in the leading group in values such as the online accessibility of information about the judicial system, the availability of digital technologies in courts, the use of tools such as artificial intelligence, videoconferencing, telework or the digital file, or the possibility for citizens and professionals to interact with the judicial bodies and the Public Prosecutor’s Office through computer tools and applications.
“The growing flow of material and human resources has not succeeded in significantly increasing Spaniards’ confidence in the independence of their judicial system”
Despite the Government’s efforts, which announced this year the creation of five hundred new judicial posts and plans to create five hundred more in 2027, the EU Justice Indicators Chart still places Spain at the back of the pack in the number of judges per inhabitant, only ahead of Malta, Denmark and Ireland. The Government and the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) have already launched the call that will allow filling the new vacancies with applicants and jurists entering the career through the so-called “fourth rotation.” This unprecedented expansion of the judiciary will be complemented by two hundred new posts for prosecutors. The calculations of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes indicate that, thanks to these measures, the presence of judges in society will approach the European average, although it will be necessary to wait for the next reports to verify it.
The growing flow of material and human resources, however, has not succeeded in significantly increasing Spaniards’ confidence in the independence of their judicial system. Spain again falls to twenty-second place, leaving behind only Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria. The main reason for that low score, as in previous editions, is the alleged government or party interference, followed by economic pressures.
The percentage of respondents who consider that independence is good or very good barely reaches 40%. About 35% rate it as bad, while another 10% assess it as very bad. The positive view gains only a couple of points compared to 2025. It is a view very similar to that of the previous edition.
Confidence in the independence of judges grows more strongly, according to the Commission’s document, among companies, although even in this metric our justice remains at the bottom of the pack. The five-point rise in perceptions of independence as good or very good among businesses places us in nineteenth position among the Twenty-seven. The reasons are the same: perceived political and economic influences.
In both cases—citizens and businesses—the data are somewhat better than in previous editions of the report, although the modest increase once again leaves us far from the major EU economies. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy achieve a much more favorable evaluation in this respect.
“The EU notes stagnation in both resolution times and in backlog and in the resolution rate”
The data are also poor when it comes to the long-standing backlog of courts and tribunals. The EU notes stagnation in resolution times—where we are fourth from the bottom—as well as in the backlog and the resolution rate—fourth from the last. The Spanish judicial system only shows improvement in the duration of cases related to European law, such as competition or telecommunications.
Finally, Spain does fare well in promoting access to alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, conciliation or negotiation. This may be due to the entry into force, in April 2025, of Organic Law 1/2025, on measures for the efficiency of the Public Justice Service, which established the mandatory use of these systems before filing a claim before civil courts.
“The Commission calls for transparency so that these interactions do not become doors to corruption”
Amid the Plus Ultra case, in which the former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been indicted by the National Court for influence peddling, purportedly intervening with the Government to obtain a 53-million-euro rescue for that airline during the pandemic, the document again places Spain among the seven European countries that still lack a register of interest groups (lobbies). Other countries such as Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands or Sweden do not have one either.
“Representing interests that seek to legitimately influence the public authorities’ decision-making without improper exchanges of favors is a perfectly legitimate activity,” says the Commission, which calls for transparency so that these contacts “do not become doors to corruption”.
