Saatja: Kadri Nõmm </O=RIIGIKOHUS/OU=EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=USER04B22299>
Saaja: Kadri Nõmm
Teema: FW: Request from the European Commission (EU Justice Scoreboard 2026)
From: Karin Leichter-Tammisto
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 11:37 AM
To: '
[email protected]' <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >; 'GANCHEV Georgi' <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Cc: '
[email protected]' <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Subject: FW: Request from the European Commission (EU Justice Scoreboard 2026)
Dear Jože, dear Georgi,
Please find enclosed answers to the questionnaire on judicial independence 2025, as well as the reviewed 2024 reply, to which I have added two brief remarks.
Please let me know if anything could be clarified.
Wishing you a lovely and joyful holiday season from snowy Tartu,
Karin
Kind regards,
Karin Leichter-Tammisto
Legal Adviser to the President
Supreme Court of Estonia
tel +372 5014948
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
From:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 2:38 PM
To: Villu Kõve <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >; Karin Leichter-Tammisto <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Cc:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ; 'STRUS Joze' <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Subject: Request from the European Commission (EU Justice Scoreboard 2026)
Dear Chief Justice Kõve,
Please kindly find attached an updated questionnaire on judicial independence which was developed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers in cooperation with the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ).
The objective of the updated questionnaire is the same as previous years and aims to collect factual information on structural guarantees for judicial independence, which cover certain guarantees for the independence of judges and for the independence of the judiciary. The results have been published in EU Justice Scoreboards from 2014 to 2025 <https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rule-law/eu-justice-scoreboard_en> .
Please note that:
The updated judicial independence questionnaire maintains all questions from the 2024 questionnaire and is already prefilled with the replies you have provided in previous years. However, you may adapt the prefilled replies, if the legislation or practice in your country has changed or if you believe the replies should be clarified. Please highlight any such additional changes red. For this year, the Commission has simplified the questionnaire and removed most of the quantitative questions to reduce your workload. You need to reply only to the questions that are highlighted in yellow. These concern two new questions on appointment/dismissal of lay judges (non-professional judges) and on powers of assemblies of judges/judges’ councils at courts, and a fine-tuned question on probationary period. The replies given in the present questionnaire could later be published.
We would kindly ask you to provide replies to the updated questionnaire by the 15 December 2025 to the following addresses:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ; and
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
If you require any clarification please contact the European Commission directly (
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> , +3222968992), or Georgi Ganchev (
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> , +3222913475).
We thank you for your cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Liis Lindström
Réseau des Présidents des Cours suprêmes judiciaires de l'Union européenne
Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union
5 quai de l'Horloge
75055 Paris cedex 01 TSA 79201
Saatja: Karin Leichter-Tammisto </O=RIIGIKOHUS/OU=EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=KARIN LEICHTER90D>
Saaja: Kadri Nõmm
Teema: FW: Request from the European Commission (EU Justice Scoreboard 2026)
From:
[email protected] <
[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 2:38 PM
To: Villu Kõve <
[email protected]>; Karin Leichter-Tammisto <
[email protected]>
Cc:
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected]; 'STRUS Joze' <
[email protected]>
Subject: Request from the European Commission (EU Justice Scoreboard 2026)
Dear Chief Justice Kõve,
Please kindly find attached an updated questionnaire on judicial independence which was developed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers in cooperation with the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ).
The objective of the updated questionnaire is the same as previous years and aims to collect factual information on structural guarantees for judicial independence, which cover certain guarantees for the independence of judges and for the independence of the judiciary. The results have been published in EU Justice Scoreboards from 2014 to 2025 <https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rule-law/eu-justice-scoreboard_en> .
Please note that:
The updated judicial independence questionnaire maintains all questions from the 2024 questionnaire and is already prefilled with the replies you have provided in previous years. However, you may adapt the prefilled replies, if the legislation or practice in your country has changed or if you believe the replies should be clarified. Please highlight any such additional changes red. For this year, the Commission has simplified the questionnaire and removed most of the quantitative questions to reduce your workload. You need to reply only to the questions that are highlighted in yellow. These concern two new questions on appointment/dismissal of lay judges (non-professional judges) and on powers of assemblies of judges/judges’ councils at courts, and a fine-tuned question on probationary period. The replies given in the present questionnaire could later be published.
We would kindly ask you to provide replies to the updated questionnaire by the 15 December 2025 to the following addresses:
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ; and
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
If you require any clarification please contact the European Commission directly (
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> , +3222968992), or Georgi Ganchev (
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> , +3222913475).
We thank you for your cooperation.
Yours sincerely,
Liis Lindström
Réseau des Présidents des Cours suprêmes judiciaires de l'Union européenne
Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union
5 quai de l'Horloge
75055 Paris cedex 01 TSA 79201