“The EPP Group welcomes today’s presentation of the European Commission’s rule of law report which highlights the democratic deficits and backslidings in the EU last year”, said Jeroen Lenaers MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament.
The report was designed to be a warning system for the state of the rule of law in the EU, assessing the situation in all Member States on an equal footing without discrimination. Nevertheless, some issues are already known: “We have seen where the rule of law and citizens’ rights are under serious threat – Hungary with the anti-LGBTQI+ law and Poland which refuses to implement the rulings of the European Court of Justice and where a system of a parallel judiciary has been put in place, are two recent examples”, continued Lenaers. The EU is based on the rule of law. Threats to the rule of law challenge the EU’s legal, political and economic basis. Deficiencies in one Member State impact other Member States and the EU as a whole. “While we welcome the report, we believe that it is not enough. We issued warnings but they were not heard. When warnings are not heeded, action must follow. The EU Member States have to take decisive action against those who abuse the rule of law”, concluded Lenaers.
