ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the importance of judicial power in Europe. The politicisation of the judiciary can lead to corruption of judicial activity and, in the end, erode the legitimacy of the political system. The geographical proximity of Belgium and Luxembourg to France has also led to the establishment of similar judicial systems. The German judicial system is federalised, meaning that there are sixteen different regional judiciaries as well as the federal level. The Nordic countries have probably the best judicial systems of the European Union (EU), because they are so oriented towards the citizen. The EU, the council of Europe and the organisation for economic cooperation and development have been instrumental in monitoring and supporting judicial reform in all Central and Eastern European countries. The creation of a Judiciary Council in 2002 was very much a response to pressure from the EU to enhance the independence of the judicial system.
