More Maltese think their law courts are independent, Eurobarometer survey finds

Eurobarometer survey finds more Maltese think their law courts are independent, up by 17 points over the previous year

More Maltese now rate positively the independence of the courts
More Maltese now rate positively the independence of the courts

The Maltese rate positively the independence of the courts, according to a Eurobarometer survey held among 445 respondents in April.

Asked to rate it in terms of independence of courts and judges, 69% of the Maltese described it as ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’ while only 27% described it as ‘very bad’ or ‘fairly bad’.

This represented a sharp 17-point increase in positive assessments when compared to a similar survey held last year.

A separate survey conducted among 262 Maltese companies also found that 69% of business owners now rated the justice system positively while only 26% rated it negatively. This represented a sharp 20-point increase in positive assessments of the justice system among the business community.

The increase in trust in the justice system represents a reversal of trends during the past five years marked by politically-charged cases in the law courts. The survey was held a few days after the arraignment of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri on money laundering charges. It also comes in the wake of reforms in judicial appointments limiting government’s direct interference in judicial appointments.

Between 2017 and 2020, positive assessments of the justice system had declined by four points while negative assessments increased by six points. This period was characterised by lack of action on the Panama Papers. But positive assessments are now 13 points higher than in 2017, even if negative assessments remain slightly higher.

Of all EU member states, Malta saw the sharpest increase in positive assessments followed by Romania (+14 points) and Latvia (+11 points).

The survey shows that among Maltese respondents who hold a negative view of the justice system, 63% replied that their rating is “very much” related to political interference by government and politicians.

Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis welcomed the findings, adding that the work undertaken over the past 18 months was bearing fruit.

FINDINGS

How do you rate the justice system in terms of independence of courts and judges?

  2017 2020 2021
Positively 56% 52% 69%
Negatively 25% 31% 27%
Don't know 19% 17% 4%

Top 5 positive rating for justice systems

Austria 83%
Finland 83%
Germany 80%
Luxembourg 77%
Netherlands 77%

Top 5 negative rating for justice systems

Croatia 78%
Slovakia 65%
Poland 59%
Bulgaria 56%
Italy 54%