- The Minister stated that the reforms being promoted are a historical opportunity to modernize Justice, reinforce its independence and turn it into a more agile and efficient public service
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, participated today in the opening of the 21st Congress of the Independent Judicial Forum. During his talk, Bolaños presented the greatest transformation of Justice in decades, driven by the Government through an ambitious legislative agenda. An agenda, he highlighted, which is a historical opportunity to modernize Justice, reinforce its independence as a guarantee of democratic quality and turn it into a more agile and efficient public service, nearer to citizens.
The Minister also noted the Government’s will to count on judges and he encouraged them to participate in the debate on the reforms with a constructive and rigorous approach. He added that the reforms were essential, and very similar to the ones defended in their time by ministers of other parties such as Gallardón or Catalá, and which have no effect on judicial independence or rule of law.
An ambitious legislative agenda to modernize Justice
Bolaños went over the Ministry’s legislative agenda, starting with rules already in force such as Royal Decree-law 6/2023, a milestone in the digitization of the system, and the Law of Justice Efficiency, which modernizes the judicial organization of the 19th century. The regulation, he reminded the participants, includes the creation of the Instance Courts, which group the former single-judge courts, the new Judicial Offices, which provide shared services, and the Justice Offices in the Municipality, a direct point of contact between citizens and the Justice Administration.
Regarding the reforms pending final approval, the Minister noted the Organic Law to expand and reinforce the Judicial and Prosecutor Careers, which will allow creating nearly 2,500 positions for judges and prosecutors in the next three years, the greatest increase in the judicial organization in history.
The Minister also mentioned the future Organic Law of Criminal Procedure and underlined that it defines a modern criminal system, with a Prosecutor's Office with greater autonomy which will assume criminal investigations, providing all stakeholders with even more guarantees. A legislation in progress in Congress which will come into force on 1 January 2028 and affects only procedures initiated from that date.
The opening of the 21st Congress of the Independent Judicial Forum, held in Albacete, included the participation of the President of the Superior Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha, Pilar Astray, and the Deputy Mayor of the city, Francisco Navarro, among other authorities.
