Op-Ed: “The Court of Justice rules on European standards for national judicial appointments” by Niels Kirst

The independence of the judiciary in the Member States has been a primordial occupation for the Court of Justice of the European Union since 2018. Adding to this line of case law, the Court of Justice most recently gave its verdict regarding a preliminary reference from Malta concerning the appointment procedures for judges in the Maltese judiciary. This Op-Ed will analyse the judgment, highlighting the Court’s reasoning, and outline the broader significance for the independence of the judiciary in Europe.

Preliminary Ruling on the Maltese system of appointing judges

In brief, the Court found that the legislative changes of 2016 in the Maltese system for the appointment of judges do not infringe the requiremen