On Monday 14 October, the NGO Liberties (Civil Liberties Union for Europe) published a report in which it points out the shortcomings of the Commission’s annual report on the Rule of law, which it considers to be over-optimistic and not very fact-based.
“The Commission is missing the point, with a generally positive assessment of vaguely defined progress”, sums up the NGO.
“To obtain a more realistic picture, the European Commission’s monitoring exercise should be more transparent and more inclusive for the civil society organisations concerned and other interested parties”.
Some Member States, such as Slovakia and Hungary, are completely ignoring the recommendations of the Commission’s report which, as it is not directly linked to the implementation tools (conditionality, infringement), cannot realise its full potential.
The report highlights the under-funding of judicial systems and their lack of independence, the lacklustre efforts to combat corruption and the widespread attacks on the media, with journalists being attacked in Slovakia, Greece, Italy, France and Sweden in 2023. The use of SLAPP, particularly in Belgium, is another serious problem.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dvi (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)