Rule of Law Report 2024: National justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media freedom and pluralism in the EU member states
The European Commission has published its fifth annual Rule of Law Report, examining systematically and objectively rule of law developments in all Member States on an equal basis.
Since its first publication in 2020, the report
has become a true driver of positive reforms: Two thirds (68%) of
the recommendations issued in 2023 have been, fully or partially,
addressed. However, in some Member States systematic concerns remain and the
situation has further deteriorated. These concerns are addressed in the
recommendations of this year's report. There are no recommendations for
enlargement countries in this report as recommendations for these countries are
issued exclusively in the context of the annual Enlargement Package.
This year's report includes, for the first
time, four country chapters on developments in Albania,
Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Including these enlargement countries
in the Rule of Law Report, the most advanced in the process, will support their
reform efforts, help authorities to make further progress in the accession
process and to prepare for the continuation of work on the rule of law as a
future Member State.
More than 7 in 10 EU citizens agree that
the EU plays an important role in helping to uphold the rule of law in their
country, according to a Special Eurobarometer survey published today. Close
to 9 in 10 EU citizens consider important that all EU Member States respect the
core values of the EU, an opinion stable since 2019. In addition, the feeling
of being informed about the EU's fundamental values has improved significantly
in many countries: overall, 51% EU citizens feel well informed about the EU's
fundamental values and rule of law, compared to 43% in 2019.
The 2024 report, as every year, includes
a Communication examining the situation in the
EU as a whole and 27 country chapters looking at significant
developments in each Member State. The report also includes an assessment of
last year's recommendations and, on that basis, provides, once more,
specific recommendations addressed to all Member
States.
The report covers four pillars: national
justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media freedom and pluralism as
well as other institutional checks-and balances.
Key findings and recommendations
1. Justice reforms
Justice reforms have continued to be high on
the political agenda over the last year, with many Member States following up
on the 2023 recommendations and implementing reforms agreed in the context of
the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Several Member States have
initiated or further progressed with important reforms to strengthen
judicial independence. They have undertaken legislative efforts to strengthen
the independence and effectiveness of Councils of the Judiciary, to improve
judicial appointment procedures, including regarding their highest courts, or
to strengthen the autonomy of prosecution services. At the same time, some
systemic concerns as regards judicial independence persist and
specific cases of deterioration have been observed. Member States
also introduced measures to improve the efficiency and quality of justice, as
well as to facilitate access to justice. However, in several Member States,
remuneration of judges and prosecutors is a concern and has led to challenges
to recruit qualified judicial personnel.
Consequently, this year's report recommends to
Member States to address challenges such as the need for safeguards in
judicial appointment procedures for both judges at lower instance courts
and at high-level positions, the autonomy of the prosecution service or
the need to provide adequate resources for the judiciary, including
as regards salaries.
In the enlargement countries, important reforms,
including at constitutional level, have been undertaken to strengthen
judicial independence and the quality of the justice systems. However, further
works need to be done, notably in areas related to the functioning of the
self-governing bodies of the judiciary and on judicial appointments.
2. Anti-corruption frameworks
Corruption remains a serious concern for
citizens and businesses in the EU, according to the results of the
2024 Special and Flash Eurobarometer survey on citizens' and businesses'
attitudes towards corruption in the EU.
The results of the Special Eurobarometer show
that Europeans remain concerned about national governments' efforts to
address corruption: 65% of citizens believe that high-level corruption cases
are not sufficiently pursued, and only 30% think that government efforts to
combat corruption are effective. Similarly, 51% of EU-based companies think
that people or businesses engaging in corrupt practices are caught by or
reported to the authorities. Of these companies, around three quarters think
that too close links between business and politics lead to corruption (79%) and
that favouritism and corruption undermine business competition (74%). Across
the EU, an average of 68% of citizens and 64% of EU-based companies consider
corruption to be widespread in their Member States.
Since last year, Member States have improved their institutional
landscape to better fight corruption, including by increasing resources on the
capacity of law enforcement services, prosecution authorities and the
judiciary. At the same time, further action is needed to strengthen
preventive frameworks, such as those governing lobbying and conflicts of
interest and asset declaration rules, as well as to ensure the effective
investigation and prosecution of corruption cases. This is reflected in
this year's recommendations.
In the enlargement countries, legal and
institutional arrangements were strengthened, though investigation and
prosecution of corruption cases need to be further strengthened.
3. Media freedom and pluralism
Since the last Rule of Law Report, several
Member States made concrete steps to improve journalists' safety and
working environment, also in the light of Commission initiatives such as
the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), already in force and fully
applicable as of August 2025, the 'Anti-SLAPP' directive and
recommendation and
the Recommendation on safety of
journalists.
Moreover, the tasks and competences of
several national media regulators have been expanded and extended, also
due to the entry into force of the EU Digital Services Act, as well as new
establishment or extension of online ownership registries.
However, concerns persist in several Member
States as regards the independent governance or financial stability of public
service media broadcasters, transparency of media ownership, the right of access
to public documents and the transparent and fair allocation of state
advertising. The Commission has, once more, issued several recommendations on
all these areas, including also the safety of journalists.
Challenges exist in enlargement
countries, notably as regards transparency of media ownership, the
independence of regulators or public services media and the safety of
journalists, though reforms have also been carried out in some of them to
address some of these issues.
4. Institutional checks and balances
Member States have continued to improve
the quality of their legislative processes and to involve stakeholders in
these processes – a trend also noted in the previous Rule of Law Reports. Some
Member States bolstered status and resources of National Human Rights
institutions, ombudspersons, and other independent authorities. Initiatives to
reinforce the framework for and funding of civil society have also continued in
several Member States.
However, challenges remain in several Member
States, such as the excessive use of accelerated procedures or
the overall quality of law-making, as well as in consultation of stakeholders.
Civil society and human rights defenders have increasingly faced challenges,
legal restrictions, and attacks, including systemic restrictions to their
operations in certain Member States. This is a worrying trend noted already in
the previous report.
To address the issues identified, the
Commission has issued recommendations related to the functioning of the
legislative process, the establishment and functioning of independent
authorities and the enabling environment for civil society.
In the enlargement countries, challenges remain regarding the systematic follow-up to recommendations of Ombudsperson institutions and other independent bodies. Challenges are also observed in relation to the quality of law-making and stakeholder consultations. (source: europa.eu/ photo:freepik.com)
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