The European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report on Germany, published on 22 July 2026, finds that perceived judicial independence has reached very high levels and significant progress has been made on justice resources and recruitment, but no progress was achieved on legislative footprint transparency, press information rights, or adapting tax-exempt status for non-profit organisations.
Perceived judicial independence among the general public rose to 82% in 2026, up from 72% in 2025, and among companies to 77%, up from 70%. The report highlights the new 'Pact for the Rule of Law' agreed in June 2026, which provides EUR 240 million in federal funding to the Länder to create around 2,000 new judiciary posts, plus EUR 210 million additional federal funding for digitalisation from 2027 to 2029. However, over one million open criminal cases remained at end 2025, leading to increased releases from pre-trial detention due to lengthy proceedings.
Specialised commercial courts or chambers are now operational in nine Länder, and a working group on commercial chambers (Kammern für Handelssachen) is to report findings in autumn 2026. A December 2025 reform of the Residence Act abolished mandatory legal representation in pre-removal detention cases.
On the negative side, the Commission notes no progress on three key recommendations from 2025: establishing a comprehensive legislative footprint for lobbying input, creating a legal basis for press right to information from federal authorities, and adapting tax-exempt status for non-profit organisations. The federal Lobbying Register is effectively enforced, but shortcomings remain in enforcement of conflicts of interest rules, asset declaration rules, whistleblower protection, and political party and campaign finance.
The report is part of the broader 2026 Rule of Law Report covering all EU member states. The European Parliament and the Council are expected to discuss the country-specific findings in the coming months.