The effectiveness of a state governed by the rule of law depends not only on its legal provisions, but also on the resources available for law enforcement. In France, there has long been growing concern that the justice system is unable to keep pace with social and criminal policy challenges. One key indicator illustrates this problem particularly clearly: France has far fewer prosecutors than most other European countries. The consequences are overburdened institutions, lengthy legal proceedings, and growing public doubts about the efficiency of the justice system.
A special case in Europe
According to the latest comparative statistics published by the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in 2024, based on 2022 data, France has only around 3.2 prosecutors per 100,000 inhabitants. By comparison, the European average is 12.2, while the median is 11.2.
Relative to its population, France has around one quarter of the European average number of prosecutors. Across Europe, France ranks near the bottom, only slightly ahead of Ireland. Several Central and Eastern European countries, by contrast, have between 20 and 24 prosecutors per 100,000 inhabitants.
Given that France is one of Europe’s largest economies and has a highly developed administrative structure, these figures are particularly striking. Staffing levels in law enforcement stand in sharp contrast to the country’s economic and political position.
Consequences of staff shortages
The significance of statistical comparisons lies in their practical impact. In the French justice system, these effects are particularly evident.
According to CEPEJ data, a French prosecutor handles more than 2,000 cases per year on average, while the European median is around 204 cases. The workload of French prosecutors is extremely high and among the highest in Europe.
Such a high workload clearly has consequences. The time needed for investigations increases, priorities must be strictly defined, and complex cases consume substantial resources. Complex areas such as organized crime, cybercrime, financial crime, or domestic violence require specialized knowledge and long-term investigations. Staff shortages are particularly evident in these areas.
In addition, French prosecutors generally lack the extensive support of administrative and legal staff available in other European countries. While other countries have large numbers of legal assistants, aides, and administrative staff supporting judicial work, French prosecutors must handle many tasks with relatively limited resources.
It is not only the public prosecutor’s office that faces difficulties
The structural problems are not limited to the public prosecutor’s office. The number of judges in France is also significantly below the European average.
The European average is 21.9 judges per 100,000 inhabitants, while France has only around 11.3. France also lags significantly behind when measured against the median of European member states.
The dual shortage of judges and prosecutors increases pressure on the entire justice system. Cases not only accumulate during the investigation phase, but also often remain pending during court proceedings, thereby extending the processing time of the entire legal process.
The French justice system faces a classic bottleneck problem: even if staffing increases in certain departments, delays remain as long as other parts of the legal process are not strengthened at the same time.
The roots of years of shortages
The current situation did not arise overnight, but is a structural problem that has accumulated over decades.
Although the justice budget has increased several times in recent years and the number of judges has also risen, the complexity of cases has increased at the same time. Digitalization, international financial flows, transnational crime, and new types of internet crime have created a greater workload than twenty years ago.
Moreover, public awareness of certain types of crime has increased, and both reporting rates and the intensity of handling cases such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and discrimination have risen significantly. This progress in protecting victims has also increased the workload of the police, public prosecutors’ offices, and courts.
Many experts therefore point out that looking only at absolute staffing numbers may underestimate the actual workload. Not only has the number of cases increased, but legal complexity continues to rise as well.
Risks to Trust in the Rule of Law
The effectiveness of the justice system is of central importance to the stability of democratic institutions. The public expects crimes to be prosecuted, disputes to be resolved promptly, and judgments to be delivered within a reasonable time.
If cases drag on for years or are discontinued due to insufficient resources, this can easily create the impression that the government is unable to cope, undermining trust in the functioning of public institutions.
In recent years, several senior French judicial officials have repeatedly emphasized this issue. They warn that public expectations and the actual capacity of courts and public prosecutors’ offices are increasingly diverging. Staff shortages are no longer merely an administrative management issue, but an overarching challenge to the quality of justice in the country.
The allocation of judicial resources is therefore increasingly becoming a political issue. Although public safety often lies at the center of public debate, attention is increasingly shifting to whether the police, prosecution authorities, and courts have sufficient resources to effectively achieve policy goals. European comparative data show that France still has a significant gap in this regard.
Author: P. Tiko