The European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report on Slovakia, published on 22 July 2026, assesses the country's progress on judicial independence, anti-corruption, media freedom, and lawmaking, finding mixed results and several outstanding recommendations. Perceived judicial independence remains low, with only 35% of the public and 38% of companies viewing it as independent, though this marks a slight improvement from 2025.
The report highlights that September 2025 amendments to judges' laws broadened the discretionary power of the Judicial Council and court presidents over temporary assignments, evaluations, and bonuses, raising concerns about arbitrariness. Disciplinary proceedings amendments, effective 1 February 2026, introduced a second-instance appellate senate, but the Judicial Council's expanded role and reduced Supreme Administrative Court judge participation are under constitutional review (case PL. US 7/2026). In May 2026, the government proposed draft constitutional and Judicial Council Act amendments to limit grounds for dismissing Judicial Council members, but further steps are needed. Anti-corruption capacity deteriorated: no new high-level corruption cases were detected in 2025, and charges, indictments, and convictions declined sharply. The Prosecutor General's power to annul final decisions of lower-ranking prosecutors remains unchanged. Public service media independence remains a concern, though a Constitutional Court ruling quashed restrictive amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. Lawmaking continues to lack effective public consultation, with frequent fast-track procedures; September 2025 constitutional amendments raised EU primacy concerns. Civil society faces ongoing pressure despite a ruling that declared certain NGO law amendments unconstitutional. The report concludes that Slovakia made some progress on Judicial Council dismissal safeguards and abolishing the 'abuse of law' offence, but no progress on high-level corruption prosecution, lobbying regulation, asset declaration reform, journalist safety, or inclusive lawmaking, and further reforms are needed across all pillars.