On the closing day of its two-day plenary session in Brussels, the European Parliament adopted a report on the European Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law Report with 509 votes in favor, 152 against and 28 abstentions.
MEPs welcomed the EU committee’s comments on the state of the rule of law in each Member State, but noted the need for a wider range of cases, covering all EU values, distinguishing between systemic and individual, independent violations of the rule of law. In their view, the report, which is currently stand-alone, should be part of a permanent, comprehensive and effective procedure, including specific recommendations relating to, for example, the procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty, budgetary conditionality and infringement proceedings.
MEPs have called for strong action to prevent violations of EU values in individual Member States. Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights are mutually reinforcing values, and their violation destroys the unity of the European Union. And respect for the rule of law binds the EU as a whole and the member states at all levels of government, the MTI quotes.
The report “condemns the political pressure exerted in Hungary and Poland to prevent national courts from bringing preliminary rulings before the Court of Justice of the European Union”, which, as they have written, runs counter to the EU treaties. The report addresses recent Polish steps undermining the Ombudsman’s independence and Hungary’s failure to implement the ruling of the European Court of Justice on limiting funding for NGOs. MEPs urge the European Commission to initiate dissuasive financial sanctions against Hungary in the EU court.
The European Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report is expected in July.
According to a statement sent to MTI, Fidesz MEP Balázs Hidvéghi stated in his written statement that one of the main tools of the rule of law campaign was the annual report issued by the European Commission, which consists of accusations of ideologically biased civic organizations instead of impartial assessments by member states.
“We are used to the left-liberal mainstream using the concept of the rule of law to wage an ideological campaign against those who disagree with them. One of the main tools has become the European Commission’s annual rule of law report, which will soon be available in 2021,” he said.
He said the European Parliament would include more areas of competence in the Member States and punish those who think differently with legal and financial means. According to him, it is no coincidence that Hungary and Poland are once again at the crossroads of lies. Those who reject immigration, express other ideas about the future of Europe, speak out against the violently expanding gender ideology would be punished, he emphasized.
Such politically biased and one-sided reports do not serve the interests of Europe, they only undermine the unity of the union and create fault lines between the member states, Balázs Hidvéghi added.
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