The time-honoured tradition of two-month summer breaks for senior judges has become an unexpected frontline issue in international efforts to rescue troubled European economies, the Gazette has learned.

The so-called troika, comprising the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission, has set fiscal and other conditions for providing loans to states hard hit by the economic crisis. Countries affected so far include Portugal, Spain and Ireland.

Troika conditions include reforms that could erode the independence of the profession, including the appointment by governments of non-lawyers to supervise and regulate. The troika is now arguing for shorter judicial vacations to ease backlogs in the courts.

A Spanish bar source told the Gazette: ‘The troika has already persuaded Portugal to reduce its summer judicial vacation from two months to one month and Spain is now under pressure to do the same.’ Such a cut would not ease backlogs because cancelling judicial leave in 2011 had simply caused ‘dysfunctions’ in Spanish courts, with a case begun by one judge passed to another who knew nothing about it, the source said. He added that France is expected to come under similar pressure.

Elsewhere In Europe, Ireland has successfully resisted troika pressure to cut judicial vacations, although last year its senior judges did accept pay cuts of up to €44,000. An ‘expert group’ appointed by Ireland’s justice minister Alan Shatter (pictured) in summer 2011 was unable to make the case for curtailing the judiciary’s holidays and Ireland’s legal calendar remains unchanged.

A Judicial Communications Office spokeswoman said there were no plans to cut English judges’ three-month annual holidays.