On Friday 13 November, the European Parliament adopted, by 496 votes in favour, 138 against and 49 abstentions, a resolution proposed by Spain’s Juan Fernando López Aguilár (S&D) on the impact of Covid-19 on the Rule of law. It recalls that emergency measures taken by governments during this second wave must be motivated by necessity, proportionate and limited in time, and subject to democratic control.
While such measures are increasing in the Member States, the text also states that bans on demonstrations due to the pandemic must not be used to adopt controversial measures, and that the rights of the most vulnerable people (LGBTI, refugees, women, and prisoners) must be protected.
Elected representatives discussed all of these issues in plenary on Thursday morning, 12 November, with Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, who stressed that the pandemic poses “a whole series of challenges to the fundamental values of the EU”, with national measures restricting individual freedoms and suspending the normal balance of power, “which can indeed pose problems for the Rule of law”.
During the debate, many MEPs also pointed out the irony of the situation in Parliament, such as Sophie in ‘t Veld (Renew Europe, Netherlands), who wondered why Parliament is closed when it should remain open to defend the democratic rights of Europeans.
Other Members referred to Hungary, Spain, and other countries where worrying developments related to the pandemic have been observed.
The Commission’s text recalls a long list of principles to be observed, covering a range of areas. Among other things, it calls on Member States “to exercise great restraint in limiting freedom of movement, particularly with regard to the right to family life; to guarantee the right to education by ensuring that students have access to education”, and to “guarantee access to asylum procedures despite the pandemic and to act in favour of the immediate evacuation of camps on the Greek islands and the relocation of asylum seekers to other EU countries”.
Freedom of the media is also addressed.
Link to the text: https://bit.ly/38Fa24x (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)