The European Union, in a statement delivered on 25 June 2026 at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, reaffirmed its commitment to an independent judiciary and legal profession as essential for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The statement, made during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, also posed a question on good practices to protect lawyers from harassment and reprisals in politically sensitive cases.
The EU emphasized that procedures for selecting, appointing, promoting, and removing judges are structural safeguards of judicial independence. It concurred that selection processes should be based on objective, merit-based, and pre-established criteria, incorporate integrity screening, and eliminate direct and indirect discrimination while promoting diversity, gender equality, and representativeness. The EU also stressed that selection must be transparent at key stages, rely on structured and fair assessment methods, and provide effective mechanisms for challenging irregularities.
The statement condemned any violence, threats, intimidation, reprisals, coercion, or inappropriate interference against judges, prosecutors, or lawyers, calling for such acts to be duly investigated and addressed. The EU then asked the Special Rapporteur to elaborate on good practices by states or regional organizations to protect lawyers from harassment, reprisals, or undue restrictions, particularly when representing clients in politically sensitive cases.
The intervention carries no binding legal force but signals the EU's policy stance within the UN human rights framework. It reinforces the bloc's founding values of respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and may influence future EU external action and funding priorities in judicial reform. The statement impacts EU member states, which are expected to align their domestic judicial appointment processes with the principles outlined, as well as non-EU countries receiving EU rule-of-law assistance. Lawyers and judges in politically sensitive contexts may benefit from increased international attention, though the statement does not introduce new EU legislation or funding.