Bulgaria ranked in the last but one spot in terms of perception of the judicial system's independence, according to the EU's Justice Scoreboard, released Monday.

The only country behind Bulgaria in the ranking system is Slovakia.

The progress report is issued annually, aiming to assess both positive and negative changes in the EU judicial systems.

The results published Monday were based upon answers to a survey, asking the question ''To what extent is the judiciary in your country independent from the influences of members of government, citizens or firms?'' The replicants included a representative sample of companies in all countries from key segments in the economy - agriculture, manufacturing, industry, services and non-manufacturing industries.

Bulgaria, however, ranks high in terms of resolved cases and promptness in the resolving of court cases.

The report also outlined additional problems, including lack of developed electronic communication, and low number of education opportunities for judges and administrative staff on EU procedures.

Furthermore, Bulgaria ranks last in terms of budget of courts per inhabitant, but is first in terms of government expenditure in law courts as percentage of GDP.

The overall focus of this year's scoreboard has largely been on independence, efficiency and quality of the judiciary systems across Europe. The results will most probably affect the allocation of EU funding over the next one year, as reported by the Bulgarian National Radio. 

The full report is available here.