The Committee of the Regions, which has just been renewed (see EUROPE 12424/14), immediately adopted, on Wednesday 12 February, an opinion drawn up by French MEP Christophe Rouillon (PES), in which he warns of the risks involved in a European sanction mechanism against Member States that do not respect the principles of the rule of law, as envisaged in the next multiannual financial framework.
While members accept the idea of making the payment of structural funds and investments conditional on "full" respect for the principles of the rule of law, they insist that the sanctions imposed should not be against local and regional authorities but against national governments. There is a risk, he points out, that by punishing the wrong political-administrative level, European action could be perceived as unfair by the citizens affected and, consequently, fuel Euroscepticism.
In their view, financing conditionality should only be activated in the event of "serious and systemic failure". In cases where such a measure was to be adopted, the opinion says, the serious failings by the authorities that led to the reduction in funding should in all cases be "clearly signalled" to the populations of the communities concerned.
In general, the recommendations stress the need for a broader and deeper monitoring process, supported by adequate resources based on the rule of law checklist developed by the Council of Europe, which is based on a series of meetings organised throughout the year at regional and national levels.
The regions thus propose that the process should culminate in an annual conference in a city particularly committed to good governance. The opinion stresses in particular the value of consulting local judicial networks and legal communities and of increasing financial support for civil society and independent media, especially at local level. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)