[WATCH] Maltese perceive judicial independence to be ‘fairly good’

Maltese perceive judicial independence to be 'fairly good'

The perception of the Maltese judiciary’s independence varies across the general public and businesses, the 2017 EU Justice Scoreboard has shown.

Whilst there has been an increase in the number of people who perceive judicial independence in Malta to be “fairly good”, a slight reduction was observed among companies.

The European Commission’s justice scoreboard gives a comparative overview of the efficiency, quality and independence of justice systems in the EU Member States.

Addressing a press briefing on the results, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici also said that reforms undertaken within the justice system were leaving their mark on the running of the courts, especially in terms efficiency.

The review takes into account the progress made between 2014 and 2016.

“Among the positive results obtained Malta ranked first in the registered rate of resolving administrative cases. Administrative cases include those in which citizens have taken the government to court,” he said.

The scoreboard is divided into three main chapters dealing with efficiency of the courts, their quality and their independence.

On efficiency, he said Malta had continued to move forward.

"Whichever way you look at the scoreboard, an improvement has been registered in efficiency,” he said.

The minister argued that significant improvement in the time taken to decide litigious and civil cases was also registered: “One must consider where we set off from, but we are seeing a year on year improvement.”

Also of significance, said the minister, was the reduction in pending cases, which can be viewed across the board.

Accessibility, legal aid and alternative solutions as well as the use of informatics by the courts also registered significant improvements.

Malta's increase in female participation within the Supreme Court judiciary was the best across Europe, although the overall proportion remains relatively low compared to other EU states.

“The positive results do not mean the government is satisfied and more needs to be done, especially in the courts' use of ICT,” Bonnici said.