The European Parliament approved, on Wednesday 7 October, by 521 votes in favour, 152 against and 21 abstentions, the draft annual cycle of monitoring the Rule of law, fundamental rights and democracy in the Member States, put forward by Michal Šimečka (Renew Europe, Slovakia). The text in plenary had no amendments.
This mechanism would be accompanied by country-specific recommendations and would trigger actions on infringements or on the conditionality of funds.
Debated on Monday evening (see EUROPE 12574/2), the Slovakian MEP’s report was adopted a week after the Commission presented its own annual report on the Rule of law in the Member States, a tool which has a “major weakness” in that it does not provide for monitoring, the Slovakian MEP had deplored.
The annual cycle advocated by Mr Šimečka therefore intends to respond to this and would be called upon to merge several tools such as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria and Romania, but also the Commission’s annual reports.
All the values of Article 2 of the Treaty would be covered and the annual cycle would detail preventive and remedial measures with a timetable and concrete goals. In order to see the light of day, it would require an interinstitutional agreement. The Commission is therefore invited to make proposals.
The resolution generally underlines the European Parliament’s concern about “the rise and entrenchment of autocratic and illiberal tendencies” aggravated with Covid-19. “Corruption, disinformation and capture of the State” in several Member States is also a concern.
According to the European Parliament, the EU does not have the tools to deal with an “unprecedented and worsening crisis regarding its founding values”. It deplores the EU Council’s inability to make progress in the ongoing Article 7 procedures (on Poland and Hungary).
In the EU Council, a first general discussion will take place on 13 October on the Commission’s annual report and a more focused discussion is planned for November.
Link to text: https://bit.ly/2GPDJUw (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)