Cyprus recorded the highest number of lawyers per capita and one of the longest delays in resolving cases according to a new Council of Europe (CoE) report released on Wednesday.
The ‘European judicial systems’ report on the efficiency and quality of justice in Europe, studied 44 countries and said Cyprus had 505 lawyers per 100,000 residents in 2022.
According to the report, which also included data for two observer states, Israel and Morocco, the average number of lawyers per 100,000 residents across Europe in 2022 was 180, with a median of 156.
The figure varies significantly by country, from a minimum of 23 in Azerbaijan to 505 in Cyprus. Israel, a CoE observer state, recorded 807.
In terms of efficiency, the report said that in Cyprus, the disposition time (DT), an indicator used to estimate how long it takes for a judicial system to resolve a case, exceeds European medians across all types of cases for which data are available.
For criminal cases, the DT remained stable compared to 2020, while it improved for administrative matters at both the first and second instance (appealing) levels.
The report also said that administrative cases in Cyprus include applications for international protection, the number of which increased in 2021 due to a rise in asylum seekers. The refugee review authority was abolished in January 2021.
Cyprus had the highest DT for divorce trials, taking 1,501 days, compared to the lowest of 21 days reported in Lithuania. Cyprus also ranked among the countries with the highest DTs for civil and commercial cases, taking 1,736 days. For administrative cases, the longest delays were reported in Albania with 8,680 days, followed by Cyprus with 2,310 days, and Portugal with 1,064 days. For criminal cases, Cyprus had a DT of 344 days.
The report highlighted improvements in first-instance administrative cases, with Cyprus’ clearance rate of resolved cases increasing by 4 per cent, and the disposition time decreasing by 402 days due to the rise in incoming and resolved asylum seeker cases.
In 2022, Cyprus allocated a budget of €95,988,137 for its judicial system, equating to €104.3 per capita, which is significantly higher than the CoE average of €74.8.
Of this budget, 61.6 per cent was devoted to prosecutorial services, the highest percentage in Europe. The report added that this budget increased significantly between 2020 and 2022 following a major restructuring of positions and salary increases for lawyers working at the attorney-general’s office.
However, the budgets for courts and legal aid per capita remained below the CoE median.
Between 2012 and 2022, the number of judges and prosecutors in Cyprus increased significantly, especially between 2020 and 2022.
In 2022, Cyprus had 15.5 judges per 100,000 residents, slightly below the CoE median of 17.6, and 19.5 prosecutors, which is above the CoE median of 11.2.
Regarding gender balance, the report said that women constitute the majority of judges, prosecutors, heads of prosecutorial services, and lawyers. Their percentage remains below 50 per cent only among Supreme Court judges and court presidents.
The report also highlighted that Cyprus has an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) development index of 0.2, placing it among the countries at the beginning stages of digitalisation.
Finally, it said that the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) awarded the 2023 ‘European Crystal Scales of Justice Prize’ to the Cyprus Judicial Training School and the Hope For Children CRC Policy Centre for their tool aimed at preparing children involved in judicial procedures, particularly to psychologically prepare for giving testimony in court.
