She emphasized that the statistics serve as a tool for assessing the development of justice systems in member states and identifying areas for improvement.

The European Commission published these statistics for the twelfth time, including comparative data on the effectiveness, quality, and independence of judicial systems across EU member states. The data shows an improvement in the public perception of judicial independence compared to last year.

Poland ranked among the top EU countries providing access to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods.

This year's statistics feature several new pieces of information, such as the availability of justice-related professions for people with disabilities, access to justice for consumers using collective redress mechanisms, the salaries of court and prosecutorial experts, and the powers of notaries in inheritance proceedings.

For the first time, data on the independence of the judiciary, such as the appointment of court presidents, national frameworks for asset declarations, and the dismissal of general prosecutors, were also presented.

Eurobarometer surveys conducted among the general public and businesses indicate that since 2016, the perception of judicial independence by the public has improved or remained stable in 19 member states.

In 14 EU member states, prosecutors are appointed by independent prosecutorial councils or the prosecution service itself. The executive power's authority, i.e., the Minister of Justice, government, or head of state, to appoint prosecutors is subject to judicial review in almost all 12 member states where prosecutors are appointed this way. In 20 member states, the executive or parliament has the power to dismiss the General Prosecutor (in five of them, at the request of the Judicial Council). In six member states, this power belongs to the Judicial Council. Sixteen member states offer the possibility to review such decisions.

The statistics published since 2013 are used by the European Commission to monitor justice reforms in member states and are one of the tools for protecting the rule of law.

The statistics focus on three main elements of an effective justice system: efficiency, quality, and independence.

Efficiency is calculated using indicators of the length of proceedings and the number of pending cases. Quality is measured using indicators of accessibility (such as legal aid and court fees), training, budget and salaries of judges and prosecutors, human resources, and digitalization. Independence statistics are determined using indicators of the perception of judicial independence by the public and businesses, as well as guarantees related to judges and the functioning of the national prosecution service.