Important documents

ENCJ report on Public Confidence and the Image of Justice, report 2019-2020 on Communication with other Branches of Power
ENCJ report on Public Confidence and the Image of Justice, report 2018-2019 on Individual and Institutional use of Social Media within the Judiciary
ENCJ report on Public Confidence and the Image of Justice, report 2017-2018 on Communication by and from the Judiciary
Annexes to the report Public Confidence and the Image of Justice, report 2017-2018

Introduction
A transparent and accountable judiciary of integrity is one of prerequisites for a proper functioning of the rule of law and the right to a fair, timely, and efficient trial by an independent and impartial court established by law. The ENCJ is aware of that, so in its Strategic plan for 2018-2021 the ENCJ reiterates (among other things) that Councils for the Judiciary or similar independent bodies, in order to maintain the rule of law, must do all they can to ensure the maintenance of an open and transparent system of justice.“ 

Equally, an open and transparent system of justice is a further precondition for establishing and maintaining the Public trust in justice, which is a cornerstone of legitimacy of judiciary.

The ENCJ observes (according to the last public confidence surveys that were conducted in the light of the 2017 EU Justice Scoreboard) that low public confidence in the judiciary is still an issue, whereas the impact of media on the decisions of judges is increasing and is large in most countries (according to the 2016 Questionnaire among judges regarding their independence).

The ENCJ has therefore set up as one of its strategic goals for the period of 2018-2021 to promote understanding of and respect for judicial independence. The ENCJ believes that pro-active (educational) attitude of the judiciary itself is indispensable in this regard and so it will be a priority topic of the ENCJ.