At a press conference on Tuesday 12 June, the United Nations Human Rights Regional Office for Europe expressed concern at the erosion of democratic values in the European Union, as illustrated in particular by the Polish and Hungarian examples. The Regional Office for Europe called on the EU to be as intransigent on the respect of its values within the EU as it is outside it with third countries.
At the end of a consultation the previous day with civil society organisations, researchers and other different human rights defence groups, the Regional Office for Europe underlined the urgency of the situation in Poland and Hungary – countries where there have been reports of attacks on the independence of the judiciary, the freedom of expression, the right to organise in associations, as well as attacks on the freedom of religion and the rights of women, Birgit Van Hout, Regional Representative for Europe at the UN Human Rights Office, stated.
In this picture, Van Hout nevertheless stated that other European countries posed similar problems – notably Austria, Italy, Slovakia, Romania and Malta. In the face of this erosion of values, it is for the "European Commission to undertake decisive action".
On Tuesday, the Regional Office for Europe welcomed the proposals recently launched on this, like the link between the respect of rule-of-law principles and access to European funds, presented on 2 May. It is also watching with interest the rule-of-law procedure launched against Poland, and looks favourably on the fact that the member states could decide on 13 June to enable a hearing between the Commission and Polish authorities in Luxembourg on 26 June to determine the next step. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)