On Tuesday 23 November, the EU’s European Affairs Ministers held a third debate on the specific situation of the Rule of law in the Member States, in this case in five Member States chosen in alphabetical order of protocol: Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia and Croatia.
The Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, called the exercise “routine” now, but beneficial in that it allows the Member States concerned to give their views and their partners to exchange more widely on their practices.
“In the other comments, I particularly appreciated the exchanges on best practices to ensure judicial independence or the fight against corruption”, the Commissioner commented, without ever mentioning Poland or Hungary, which are receiving increased attention on these issues.
Both countries were able to recall, during the debate, the importance of being treated on an equal footing with other Member States, a source reported, reiterating their traditional positions during these exchanges on the Rule of law.
Slovenia’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Gašper Dovžan, said that these country-by-country dialogue exercises “bring us closer together” and show that “discussions on the Rule of law can be constructive” and give rise to “a certain dynamic”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)