The MEPs of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) approved, on Monday evening, December 10, by a large majority (25 votes in favour, 6 against and 1 abstention) the draft report prepared by Swedish MEP Bodil Valero (Greens/EFA) which proposes to triple the budget allocated to the ‘Rights and Values’ programme for the period 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12030).
They supported a total budget of 1.834 billion euros in current prices, three times more than the 642 million euros proposed by the European Commission.
The rapporteur wanted to go even further and originally proposed a budget of 1 974 million euros in current prices, but it was finally the proposal of the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), which delivered its opinion at the end of November, that was adopted.
In the final report, MEPs emphasised the protection and promotion of the rule of law and decided to make it the primary objective of the programme, unlike the European Commission, which had made a point of distinguishing this programme from its proposal for a regulation linking the rule of law and European funds (see EUROPE 12013).
They also proposed that funds under shared management allocated to a Member State could be transferred to the programme if the Commission activates the EU rule of law framework or if a formal proposal to trigger Article 7 of the Treaty against that Member State is submitted.
They further agreed that, in exceptional cases, when there is a serious and rapid deterioration of the situation in a Member State and fundamental values are threatened, the Commission may launch a call for proposals, under an accelerated procedure, to finance civil society organisations in order to facilitate and support democratic dialogue in that country.
With regard to the activities that can be financed with these funds, MEPs also propose: - awareness-raising campaigns on fundamental European values and on the rights and obligations deriving from Union citizenship; - initiatives to reflect on the causes of totalitarian regimes; - town-twinning projects; - measures against propaganda and misinformation. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)