The European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) issued the following statement on 24 July 2024 on the situation of the remuneration of Hungarian judges.
The following news was published at the ENCJ:
At the ENCJ General Assembly 2024 in Rome, following a previous information provided by the Council for the Judiciary of Hungary (OBT) in January 2024, the OBT President took the opportunity to inform the ENCJ Members on the situation of judicial remuneration in Hungary.
The ENCJ Executive Board observes with great concern that challenges to judicial independence in Europe persists. The current situation in Hungary reveals that the earlier salary increases of judges and prosecutors have been adversely affected by high inflation. Consequently, the financial situation of judges and of court staff has deteriorated significantly in the last number of years.
The Executive Board takes into consideration the efforts of the OBT Hungary as well as other judicial organizations in Hungary to draw attention to this issue and to resolve it via various means, including legislative proposals.
The ENCJ Executive Board therefore calls upon all relevant actors, including other state powers, to take the steps necessary to resolve the situation.
Statement
The European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) observes with concern that challenges to judicial independence persist across Europe, including the issue of adequate judicial remuneration.
In May 2023 the ENCJ Executive Board published a statement on financial security in the context of Judicial independence. While in some ENCJ Members improvements in this regard were observed, the issue of inadequate remuneration of judges and court staff became evident in Hungary.
As reported by the representatives of the Council for the Judiciary of Hungary (OBT Hungary), earlier salary increases of judges and prosecutors have been adversely affected by high inflation. Consequently, the financial situation of judges and of court staff has deteriorated significantly in the last number of years.
This issue is further exacerbated by substantial salary increases in other sectors of the labour market, including legislative and executive branches of the public sector, which leads to significant disparity among different state entities.
Recalling the ENCJ Statements of 25 May 20231 and 12 June 20242 on the issue of adequate judicial remuneration as an important component of judicial independence, the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary takes this opportunity to reiterate the importance of an independent judicial system in ensuring the fundamental values of Article 2 TEU on which the European Union is founded. Insufficient funding hampers the ability of the judiciary to carry out its functions effectively and independently.
It also creates real difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified court staff, who assist judges in the administration of justice. Taking into consideration the continuous efforts of the OBT Hungary and other judicial organizations in Hungary to address the issue, including several proposals of draft legislation aimed at both keeping the salaries of judges and judicial staff in line with inflation and at setting-up a new salary calculation system, the ENCJ calls upon all relevant actors, including other state powers, to take the steps necessary to resolve the situation.