On Wednesday 28 February, MEPs voiced their concerns about the state of the rule of law in several Member States by adopting by 374 votes to 113, with 45 abstentions, the report by Sophie in 't Veld (Renew Europe, Dutch) on the Commission’s 2023 annual report on the subject.
The report points to “widespread problems in all Member States, with worrying trends in several countries”. In particular, it cites the issue of threats to democratic institutions and the independence of the judiciary, as well as the Commission’s concerns about Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain and Cyprus. It goes on: - disciplinary procedures, which can be used as a means of restricting judicial independence, as is the case in Poland and Bulgaria; - corruption and the major obstacles that whistleblowers face; - the situation in Malta concerning the ‘golden passport’ system and the culture of impunity identified by the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination; - the situation of independent authorities; - the protection of journalists against threats, SLAPPs and spyware, notably in Malta, Slovakia and Greece, as well as the issues raised in France following the recent detention of a journalist.
The excessive use of force by the police, such as the unregulated use of “less lethal weapons”, the “arbitrary detention of demonstrators in France”, the “disproportionate use of force against demonstrators and the murders of three young Roma in Greece” are other elements cited in the report.
At a press conference, the Dutch rapporteur welcomed the fact that the issue of the rule of law had been placed at the top of the European agenda, but felt that the European institutions were not yet doing enough to defend it, citing in particular the weak response of the institutions to the illegal tapping of MEPs and journalists.
She welcomed the beginnings of a “springtime of the rule of law in Bulgaria and Slovenia” and expressed her vigilance with regard to the situation in Poland, where the change of government does not mean that there are no more problems.
Link to the adopted report: https://aeur.eu/f/b2b (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)