Measuring Justice: Methodological and Policy Issues

Abstract

A holistic assessment of the EU Justice Scoreboard throughout all its editions reveals an undergoing metamorphosis from a non-binding descriptive tool to a more powerful governance instrument. As a consequence, the Scoreboard has multiple spillover effects within and outside of the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. Ergo, the question arising is if the quality of the data provided justifies this transformation and the growing importance of the instrument for the future. A thorough analysis of the Scoreboard casts doubt on this.

Keywords: EU Justice Policy, EU Justice Scoreboard, Evaluation of European Judicial Systems, CEPEJ, Judicial Statistics, Management of National Judiciaries, Judicial Reforms