The murder of an 11-year-old girl in southwestern France has ignited a fierce debate about the country's under-resourced judiciary. Lyhanna disappeared on 29 May near Fleurance and her body was found days later in an abandoned silo in Puycasquier. A 41-year-old father of two, whose daughter was a school friend, has been arrested as the main suspect. He had been named in four separate cases involving young girls in recent years, but none were properly investigated.
President Emmanuel Macron called the lapses "unacceptable," and the justice minister has refused to resign despite mounting pressure. The case has exposed chronic under-investment in the French judicial system, which has one of the lowest ratios of professional judges in the European Union.
Europe's Judicial Landscape
According to the Council of Europe, France had around 11 professional judges per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022 — roughly half the European average of 22. Across the EU, the number of professional judges fell by nearly 12% between 2019 and 2024, to 70,348, according to Eurostat.
Eastern European countries, whose legal systems are heavily influenced by Germanic law, tend to have the highest numbers. Germanic law is highly inquisitorial: judges actively direct proceedings, question witnesses, and order evidence, requiring more personnel. These countries also often have hyper-specialised courts with panels of judges rather than single presiding judges.
Croatia leads the EU with 42.4 judges per 100,000 people, followed by Slovenia (40.7) and Greece (37.3). When including the wider continent, Monaco tops the list with over 102 judges per 100,000, while Montenegro ties with Croatia at 42.4.
In contrast, Western and Southern European nations — whose systems are based on Nordic law, common law, or Napoleonic law — have far fewer judges. Napoleonic law countries are also inquisitorial but less fragmented than Germanic courts, requiring less manpower. Common law systems, such as those in the UK and Ireland, use an adversarial model where judges act as passive umpires, ruling on points of law rather than directing investigations.
Ireland has just 3.3 judges per 100,000, Denmark 6.5, and Malta 9. In the UK, England and Wales have fewer than three, Scotland 3.6, and Northern Ireland 3.7. The Council of Europe notes that the UK's low number is partly explained by the extensive use of non-professional magistrates in its Magistrates' Courts.
France's crisis has prompted calls for a major overhaul, as seen in the article France Demands Justice Overhaul After Murder of 11-Year-Old Lyhanna. Meanwhile, several countries — including Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, and Romania — have already taken steps to address declining judicial applicants by raising wages or improving working conditions.
The disparities across Europe reflect deep-rooted differences in legal traditions and court organisation. But the common challenge remains: ensuring that justice systems have enough qualified judges to handle caseloads effectively, especially in high-profile cases like Lyhanna's.
