Georgia among top five European states improving judicial independence since 2013

The European Commission, within the framework of Freedom House’s 2025 annual report, has released a global evaluation of judicial independence. The index covers more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, analyzing developments from 2013 to 2025. Using a four-point rating system, the study sought to answer a key question: “Is the judiciary independent?”

According to the report, only five countries in Europe have managed to improve their ratings on judicial independence since 2013: Georgia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Albania.

In the 2025 assessment, Georgia ranks ahead of all its neighboring states in terms of judicial independence. Within the post-Soviet space, it is placed fourth after the Baltic countries, on par with four EU and NATO member states: Poland, Hungary, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

By contrast, other EU candidate states, Moldova and Ukraine, occupy the lowest positions in Europe, alongside Russia and Belarus, with equally poor ratings.

The study highlights that Moldova’s judicial independence has deteriorated significantly since 2017, pushing it to the very bottom of the European ranking. Ukraine’s score, meanwhile, has remained unchanged since the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, consistently placing it last in Europe.

The report also reveals that prior to 2013, Georgia ranked among the lowest in Europe alongside Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, occupying one of the worst positions globally.

Since then, however, Georgia has joined a group of just 30 countries worldwide that have improved their judicial independence indicators. By contrast, 40 countries and territories have seen their situation worsen over the same period.