Spanish justice demands “immediate attention” in a context where court response times are lengthening considerably, where reports are drawn up years in advance, where delays violate fundamental rights and where many procedures are paralyzed … years. This is what the judicial associations Francisco de Vitoria and the Independent Judicial Forum of a letter to the Minister of Justice. Felix Bolanosin which they ask him to take “essential measures” to deal with the structural deterioration that the Administration of Justice is going through.
The signatories argue that the conjunction of various factors – the constant increase in litigation, the reduction of staff due to retirements, deaths or special duty situations, and population growth – has placed the Spanish justice system in a scenario that “requires immediate attention”.
They recall in this sense that during the first quarter of 2025, the judicial bodies recorded 2,288,305 cases, or 15.6% more than the previous year, an upward trend that has occurred in recent years “without any sign of stabilization”. This is accompanied by demographic growth which will exceed 50 million inhabitants in 2026 and which will lead to more litigation and an increase in retirements voluntary or anticipated. Indeed, in 2024, 42% of retirements were voluntary, which reflects, they say, significant professional burnout. CGPJ forecasts estimate that approximately a third of judicial careers will retire over the next decade.
The CGPJ Strategic Plan for the decade 2023-2032, underline the two associations, indicates that Spain needs around 350 new judges per year to ensure replacement and guarantee minimal growth of the factory. However, recent calls – 120 places in 2023, 120 in 2024 and 120 in 2025 – “are very far from this objective”.
To this is added that in May 2023 an agreement was signed between the Government and various professional associations of judges and prosecutors which provided for an increase of 100 new places of access to judicial and prosecutorial careers in the opposition calls published in the years 2023 and 2024. Even if it was a condition to cancel the strike of judges and prosecutors, the truth is that this commitment “to date has not been respected”.
“It’s not a business problem.”
“It is not – they say – a business question: guaranteeing effective judicial protection requires having sufficient judicial staff”, for which they propose to the Ministry as an urgent measure the automatic replacement of all vacancies due to retirements and/or deaths occurring, by creating each year the same number of student places at the Judicial School. This is in addition to and completes the places already provided for in the general state budgets.
According to him, automatic replacement is the most immediate and effective measure avoid a gradual reduction of judicial staff because this does not imply an increase in the budget because these are already existing positions and with salaries already planned. Except that this is a measure applicable to a scenario of expanded general state budgets.
They also suggest an extraordinary budgetary modification to strengthen essential public services and respect for the commitment that led to the end of the strike by demanding 200 positions in the oppositions to the judicial and tax careers of the years 2023 and 2024.
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