12 April, 2024
On April 2, 2024, the ENCJ Board and the European Association of Judges issued a joint statement on the renewal of the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). The statement emphasizes the need to ensure that Judicial Councils (if established) are able to function independently and as a buffer between the judiciary and other branches of government in matters such as the appointment and career of judges and the administration of the justice system.
The Spanish General Council of the Judiciary (Consejo General del Poder Judicial – CGPJ) has been operating on an interim basis since December 2018 and with limited powers since March 2021. This deadlock affects the CGPJ's ability to fully execute its duties, in particular to efficiently appoint judges.
The ENCJ Board believes that efforts should be made to restore the permanent functioning of the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary in accordance with the recommendations of the 2022 and 2023 Rule of Law Reports. On January 26, 2024, the European Commission has launched a structured dialogue on this matter in order to facilitate the exit from the legal deadlock situation.
The joint statement of the ENCJ Board and the European Association of Judges is available here.