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Each year, the European Commission publishes its Rule of Law Report, which assesses the state of judicial systems in all European Union Member States. The analysis of judicial systems examines judicial independence, quality and efficiency, as well as the progress made by Member States in implementing recommendations issued in previous years. The report makes it possible not only to assess the current situation but also to identify areas requiring greater attention.

The European Commission’s 2026 assessment confirms that Lithuania’s judicial system remains strong and reliable. The report notes that judicial independence in Lithuania is perceived as high by both the public and the business community: 66% of the general public and 70% of companies rate the independence of courts and judges as “fairly good” or “very good”. This reflects a high level of public and business confidence in judicial independence in Lithuania. The European Commission also positively assesses Lithuania’s progress in the digitalisation of the courts and other indicators relating to the quality of the judicial system.

Although the overall assessment is positive, the European Commission draws attention to challenges that may, over time, have a negative impact on the functioning of the judicial system. Particular attention is given to insufficient financial and human resources. According to the Commission’s assessment, non-competitive remuneration makes it increasingly difficult for courts to attract and retain qualified court staff and judges, who must compete for qualified professionals not only with the private sector but also with other public sector institutions.

The Commission also notes that although the judicial system’s performance indicators currently remain positive, human resource challenges may affect its efficiency in the long term. For this reason, attention is drawn to the importance of ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for the judicial system in order to attract and retain qualified judges and court staff.

In summary, the European Commission’s assessment shows that Lithuania’s judicial system remains strong, independent and favourably regarded by the public. However, maintaining these results in the long term requires ensuring adequate financial and human resources to attract and retain qualified judges and court staff.

The full report is available here.

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Media contacts:
Tautvilė Merkevičiūtė
Supreme Court of Lithuania
Public Relations Officer of the Office of the President
Mobile: +370 685 84863
Email: t.merkeviciute@lat.lt
www.lat.lt