About: Rule of Law Mechanism Archives

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Wednesday (18 November) backed the criticisms made by Poland and Hungary when they vetoed the EU budget over plans to tie funding to respect for the rule of law. "Some political groups... are openly threatening …

EU nations are again at loggerheads over their seven-year budget and coronavirus recovery plan, as Hungary and Poland attempt to block provisions tying payouts to upholding the rule of law.

Hungary and Poland blocked the approval of the EU’s seven-year budget and the recovery fund totalling €1.81 trillion, as both countries continued to oppose the rule of law mechanism attached to the EU funds. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto an EU accord linking the bloc's long-term budget to a mechanism requiring countries to uphold Europe's democracy rules, according to an EU source on Sunday (8 November).

After years of tiptoeing around the issue, EU governments are finally set to check on each other's records on the rule of law. This is a significant step forward, but governments have to take this broad dialogue seriously and talks must lead to action, argues Linda Ravo, an expert adviser at the Civil Liberties Union for Europe.

The European Parliament and the Council representing the EU27 reached a preliminary deal on linking the disbursement of EU funds to rule of law after five rounds of talks, clearing a major hurdle in the wider negotiations on the bloc's budget.

EU leaders are fond of talking about the bloc’s values but a much more fundamental question is whether we should have common rules about the way in which our governments are built, how power is exercised and maintained in check. Here, …

Taking a comprehensive approach to democracy that encompasses all aspects of democracy, rule of law and human rights would bridge the growing east-west divide, argues Sam van der Staak.

The idea of a rule of law mechanism in the EU is hopelessly half-baked. Rule of law warriors are unable to define or measure what they mean, they are simply waging an ideological battle, argues Zoltán Kovács.

On Monday (5 October), the European Parliament will discuss in plenary the Rule of Law in Bulgaria. It may look like an event important mostly for the Bulgarians, but in fact it has a lot of incidence on the EU, writes Radan Kanev

Thousands of people marched through the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Saturday (3 October) calling for the government to quit, the latest in a series of such protests.

The European Commission Vice president for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, voiced clear support for the ongoing anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria on Wednesday (30 September), saying that the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov should take them “very seriously”.

Democratic backsliding in Europe is evident and the EU must stop treating the rule of law and democracy in its member countries as a taboo subject. It should be discussed openly and impartially, writes Michal Šimečka.

In her first State of the Union speech, delivered on Wednesday (16 September), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen positioned herself as a bulwark against the unravelling of EU values that is already underway in many of the member states.

The major European political groups tolerate corruption and malfeasance among the member parties, says Green MEP Daniel Freund, who also analyses the weaknesses of instruments to fight the misuse of EU funds.

European Council President Charles Michel's latest compromise proposal for the bloc's 2021-27 budget offers more power to member states in deciding to cut EU funding in case of rule of law problems, and instead promises more funding for values projects and the fight against disinformation.

European Union countries should only get money from the bloc's budget and the COVID-19 recovery fund if they have robust courts and safeguards against corruption, a top official said on Monday (6 July), a couched warning to Poland and Hungary, among others.

The EU must swiftly propose and adopt sanctions against the latest 'democratic backsliding' by the Hungarian government, say leading European politicians, media and civil society leaders in an open letter whose signatories include former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, and EURACTIV founder Christophe Leclercq.

A conference in Sofia debated the European Commission's proposal for an EU-wide rule of law mechanism on Friday (6 March) and one European lawmaker said there is already a clear majority in the European Parliament to set up a new control mechanism for the rule of law.

The new European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, did not mince her words at her first press conference on Wednesday (4 December), criticising a recent proposal of the Finnish EU Presidency for the bloc’s 2021-2027 budget and voicing concern "about the severe cuts in the proposal".

Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne told the European Parliament on Wednesday (17 July) that his country’s presidency of the Council of the EU would continue negotiations on how to link more closely the disbursement of EU funds with respect for the rule of law in member states.

The European Commission admitted on Friday (29 March) that relations with Romania, the holder of the rotating EU presidency, had become “heavier” because of the case of Laura Codruța Kövesi, the top candidate for the post of the chief European prosecutor.

A long-running dispute between Poland and the European Union over democratic values escalated on Wednesday (4 July) when new legislation came into force that requires about a third of judges at the Supreme Court to retire.

Thousands of Poles took to the streets of Warsaw and other Polish cities on Tuesday (3 July) to protest against the government's makeover of the judiciary that takes effect at midnight despite strong objections by the European Union.