The European Commission will do everything in its power to protect the EU budget and, as regards the regulation linking the payment of funds to respect for the Rule of law, “ the first written communications will be sent in the next few weeks” to the Member States, its President, Ursula von der Leyen, assured MEPs on Wednesday 15 September in Strasbourg, during the European Parliament debate on the State of the Union.
Mrs von der Leyen thus responded to criticism from many MEPs that she was slow to trigger the budget protection mechanism against violations of the Rule of law.
In her initial State of the Union speech, Mrs von der Leyen did not mention the regulation in question. However, she stressed the importance of ensuring “that every euro and every cent is spent for its proper purpose and in line with Rule of law principles..
Dacian Cioloș (Renew Europe, Romania) said that he does not understand why the Commission is reluctant to use this mechanism “to stop financing illiberal drifts in Europe”. He asked the Commission to have the political courage to use this mechanism that has been in place for almost a year. “If you do not find this courage, we simply remind you of your obligation to enforce European law before the Court of Justice”, Mr Cioloș reiterated (see EUROPE 12779/10).
“The Rule of law is fundamental. The Commission has taken action, but it must be even more courageous” stressed, as well, Iratxe García Pérez (S&D, Spain).
“How can we defend and promote human rights, democracy and the Rule of law if we are unable to ensure that they are respected within the European Union itself?”, asked Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, Belgium).
Approach considered political. On the contrary, some MEPs, such as Raffaele Fitto (ECR, Italy), said that what is happening in some Member States, starting with Poland, “is only the result of a political approach and a preconceived idea that a majority wants to impose, going against the principles and values of an EU that must respect, in its diversity, the competences of each State as well”.
Beata Szydło (ECR, Poland) also defended the sovereign right of Member States, while Tamás Deutsch (NI, Hungary) denounced the EU’s “colonialist” attitude towards Central and Eastern European countries.
See the State of the Union address: https://bit.ly/3ltHxvq
See the Commission’s letter of intent for 2022: https://bit.ly/3EmHlGS (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)