Formal independence alone does not secure the rule of law. The panel "Rule of Law beyond Formal Independence: Accountability, Remedies, and Public Trust" brought together Haris Boyiadjis, Transparency Commissioner; Menelaos Kyprianou, Managing Partner of Michael Kyprianou Law Firm; Sophia Kleopa Hadjikyriakou, Law Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus; Anne Pantazi, European Prosecutor at the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) (@EUProsecutor); and Symeon Keletzis of the European External Action Service (@eu_eeas). Commissioner Boyiadjis said every complaint, named or anonymous, is examined. Since March 2024, a team of seven officers has been clearing more cases than are submitted, with the aim of eliminating the backlog by early 2027. The next goal is stronger investigative and prosecutorial powers, so the Authority can bring cases to court itself. Mr Kyprianou warned of the risk of gradual drift towards authoritarian practices, pointing to long court delays that limit citizens' real access to justice. Investment in the judiciary should be treated as strategic, not a cost, he argued, proposing judicial assistants, a Commercial Court, full digitalisation and alternative dispute resolution. Ms Kleopa Hadjikyriakou said establishing her Office in law has strengthened its transparency, accountability and continuity. Priorities include reviewing around 11 to 12 laws on violence against women and domestic violence to meet EU obligations by June 2027. "It is not so much the person that matters, but the institution." Ms Pantazi said the rule of law must be protected equally in every member state and cannot retreat before appeals to national identity. Substantive independence matters more than formal independence, and the EPPO's structure gives it greater distance from national influence. In Cyprus, she noted, limited human resources affect the speed of investigations. Mr Keletzis said the rule of law sits at the core of European identity and now carries geopolitical weight. The EU cannot promote it abroad without protecting it at home.