EU's Rule of Law: A Fragile State, according to MEPs

European Parliament’s draft assessment of the Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report paints a worrying picture about the state of European values.

The report endorsed by the Committee on Civil Liberties with 50 votes in favour, 18 against, and four abstentions, takes stock of the Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report as well as developments across the member states.

MEPs call firmer, more consistent enforcement of democratic principles by both member states and the Commission. To prevent backsliding, they ask for an “ever more comprehensive toolbox”, complemented by a “smart conditionality” mechanism to ensure that the suspension of EU funds cannot be misused against civil society and local authorities. They reiterate the call for a fully-fledged mechanism to protect and enforce EU values in their entirety, while proposing methodological improvements to the Commission’s annual exercise.

Among worrying developments identified this year, MEPs point to restrictions to the right of assembly and a rapidly shrinking civic space. They underline the need for independent, effective judicial systems with highly qualified personnel, and stress the importance of assessing ongoing reforms in member states, while also condemning interference in corruption investigations and the misuse of judicial systems for political ends. MEPs call for better protection of vulnerable groups against discrimination, including EU-wide legislation criminalising hate crime and hate speech. They also highlight the obligation to uphold the international legal order and implement binding court decisions: member states need to ensure national judges’ access to the Court of Justice of the EU, apply its jurisprudence in full, and enforce the orders of the International Criminal Court.

The report further raises:

  • the need for more robust anti-corruption efforts at all levels,;
  • a call for more transparency in interest representation, including new or improved mandatory registers and legislative footprint mechanisms;
  • threats to media freedom and pluralism, especially SLAPPs and spyware;
  • the spread of disinformation undermining democracy;
  • persistent and new threats to equality for vulnerable groups (especially discriminatory measures against LGBTIQ persons) and the Commission’s intention to withdraw the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive;
  • the need for access to safe, legal abortion to be enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
  • the rise of extremism, threats to electoral processes, and the use of technology to curtail democratic rights; and
  • the deteriorating situation in Hungary.

MEPs also call for a stronger mandate for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and urge the Commission to apply conditionality mechanisms more readily.

Rapporteur Ana Catarina Mendes (S&D, Portugal) commented: “For the Union to deliver on its promise of rule of law freedom and fundamental rights for every person living in Europe, we need to strengthen our ability to monitor and act on backsliding in the rule of law and all European values. However, we see that some political forces are willing to renege on these values for short-term political gain, undermining not only the fundamental rights of vulnerable groups but also the rule of law mechanisms that protect them and support our entire societies. It is high time that we act responsibly and in line with our proudest democratic traditions, because it is becoming increasingly clear that everything is at stake.”

The report is expected to be debated and voted on in the 16 - 19 June plenary session in Strasbourg, in anticipation of the upcoming 2025 Rule of Law Report by the Commission. (source: europarl.europa.eu/photo freepik.com)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ombudsman inquiry on Commission President’s text messages is a wake-up call for EU

Image
The European Ombudsman inquiry into the Commission’s handling of a request for text messages between its President and the CEO of a pharmaceutical company is a wake-up call for all EU institutions about ensuring accountability in an era of instant messaging. One year after the initial request by a journalist, the Commission has still not clarified whether messages reported to concern major vaccine procurement deals exist and whether the public is entitled to see them. The Ombudsman had asked the Commission, in a finding of maladministration in January, to conduct a more thorough search for the text messages. The Commission’s recent response failed to say whether it had looked directly and correctly for the text messages and if not, why not. While the response recognised that work-related text messages can be EU documents, it reiterated that the Commission’s internal policy is, in effect, not to register text messages. The Ombudsman has closed  the inquiry  and upheld...
Read more

An overview of the regulatory framework on Gambling Services in the European Union

Image
written by Efi Thoma * The European Union (EU) does not have a harmonized, single regulatory framework for betting companies. Instead, the regulation of gambling services, including betting, remains largely within the competence of individual Member States.  This results in a diverse and often fragmented legal framework across the EU. While the EU facilitates some level of cooperation and sets overarching principles, the specifics of licensing, operational requirements, and consumer protection measures vary significantly from country to country. Despite the lack of a unified framework, several key principles and EU-level instruments influence the national regulations of betting companies. More specifically, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) guarantees the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services within the EU. These fundamental freedoms mean that Member States cannot unjustifiably restrict betting companies legally established in ano...
Read more

Access to documents: the Commission decision refusing a journalist of The New York Times access to the text messages exchanged between President von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer is annulled (CJEU)

Image
In its Judgment dated 14/5/2025 in Case T-36/23 (Stevi and The New York Times v Commission), the General Court ruled that the Commission decision refusing a journalist of The New York Times access to the text messages exchanged between President von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer is annulled. By an application based on the Access to Documents Regulation, [1], Matina Stevi, a journalist working for the daily newspaper The New York Times, requested the European Commission to provide access to all text messages exchanged between President Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, the chief executive officer of Pfizer, between 1 January 2021 and 11 May 2022.  The Commission rejected that application on the ground that it did not hold the documents covered by it. Ms Stevi and The New York Times requested the General Court of the European Union to annul the Commission’s decision.  In its judgment, the General Court upholds the action and annuls the Commission’s decision. The Court re...
Read more

New President of the European Court of Human Rights

Image
The European Court of Human Rights has elected on 28.4.2025 Mattias Guyomar, Judge elected in respect of France, as its new President.  Mattias Guyomar succeeds Marko Bošnjak, Judge elected in respect of Slovenia. He will take up office on 30 May 2025. Read his bio here Furthermore, the Judge elected in respect of Armenia, Vahe Grigoryan, was formally sworn in in the Court's Main Hearing Room on 28.4.2025. Read as well:  Interventions in Justice System and the role of Artificial Intelligence / article by Giorgos Kazoleas, Lawyer in Cyprus
Read more

Imposition of a fine on a bank in Greece for an incident of personal data breach

Image
The Greek Data Protection Supervisory Authority imposed on a Bank, as Data Controller, an administrative fine of EUR 100,000 for violating the principles of accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of data, and the principles of data protection by design and by default, in conjunction with Articles 32, 33, and 34 of the GDPR, as well as an administrative fine of EUR 20,000 for violating the complainants' right of access. Complaints were submitted to the Supervisory Authority of Greece against the National Bank of Greece for the incorrect linking of a complainant's bank account with the mobile phone number of another complainant in the “i-bank Pay application”, which resulted in money transfers, via “IRIS online payments service”, which were made to the first complainant's account instead of the second's.  In the context of the administrative audit conducted by the Authority, the Bank eventually identified that the issue was due to incorrect configuration during the ...
Read more