Estonian judges consider European appeal over pay restraint

Estonian judges may seek support from European judicial organisations over the government’s decision to restrain their pay growth, ERR reported. Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said there was no reason to discuss judges’ special status and that spending cuts must affect everyone.

The government has extended reduced salary indexation for senior public officials until 2031. The measure was initially due to end in 2028 and is part of a budget strategy to limit pay growth for the next four years. Judges say their constitutional status and lifelong professional obligations make their pay arrangements distinct.

Ligi said the initial decision had been made and that Parliament should consider whether officials currently outside the rules should also be included. He said indexing salaries to average wages or employment was a safe approach, adding that it was difficult to argue anyone should be exempt from cuts while the public sector was shrinking.

Anu Uritam, a Harju County Court judge who chairs the Estonian Association of Judges, said judges did not accept the decision. She argued that funding priorities were political, while the administration of justice was a core state function. Uritam said judges’ workloads had grown, including because of the migration crisis, and that budget cuts had made it harder to recruit new judges. She also said reduced indexation had already broken the state’s promise of a social guarantee to judges.

Uritam said the association could ask the European Association of Judges to adopt a resolution supporting Estonian judges. The resolution would be sent to European governments, and the issue could also be brought to the attention of the European Commission.