Slow Italian justice and the European single market

17.2.2016

Question for written answer E-001388-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Matteo Salvini (ENF)

The EU Justice Scoreboard 2015 reports alarming data on the workings of the Italian justice system. In particular, it shows that civil justice in Italy is among the slowest in the EU and is by far the worst of the founding Member States in this regard.

The Scoreboard, which also refers to World Economic Forum data, shows that Italy is also one of the lowest-ranking countries in terms of public perceptions of judicial independence.

As Commissioner Jourová pointed out when presenting the Scoreboard, lengthy legal proceedings are damaging to the economy and slow justice is ineffective justice. The sluggishness of Italian justice is also damaging to a number of foreign companies operating in Italy and/or with Italian partners, and represents a serious barrier to investment by the companies of other Member States in Italy, obstructing the creation of a true single market. In light of this, does the Commission intend to take action to make the Italian Government aware of the serious set of problems detailed above?