Overview

• Judicial associations ended their three-day strike on July 3, claiming a 70% turnout while the Ministry of Justice reported participation below 30% and said courts operated normally.
• The General Council of the Judiciary has refused to recognize the strike as legally valid and declined to collect data on participants.
• Associations warn they will resume mobilizations after the summer, including potential indefinite strikes, if urgent reforms remain unaltered.
• Protesters argue that swift reforms would centralize power in the Attorney General’s office and undermine merit-based entry by introducing an ad hoc exam for 1,004 substitute judges and prosecutors.
• Next week, representatives will meet European Commission and Parliament officials in Strasbourg to press arguments under Article 19 of the EU Treaty on judicial independence.