Brussels – On Monday, members of the European Parliament will convene counterparts from EU member states to review rule of law safeguards across the bloc.
The gathering occurs as concerns mount over democratic backsliding in certain European countries. It will “discuss the state of the rule of law in the EU,” according to the parliament’s civil liberties committee, which is organizing the meeting.
Included on the agenda are presentations from Belgian, Danish, German, Greek, Irish, and Spanish lawmakers. European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders will also provide remarks via video message.
“The first session will focus on the Commission’s annual Rule of Law report assessing the situation across the EU, and the European Parliament’s analysis,” organizers outlined.
Sophie In ‘t Veld, the parliament’s rule of law monitoring group chair, will discuss recent developments. She serves as rapporteur on the Commission’s latest annual report on adherence to EU values.
Academic experts, Council of Europe officials, and transparency advocates will join the second panel discussion on anti-corruption efforts.
The gathering comes the same year rule of law conditionality took effect, allowing the suspension of EU funds over breaches of democratic principles and judicial independence. However, the mechanism’s deployment remains a politically sensitive matter.
Monday’s parliamentary summit will zero in on five countries for “specific evaluation,” according to documents. But organizers did not specify the member states under review.
With Budapest resisting EU calls for reform, and Poland accused of backsliding on judicial independence, the state of the rule of law promises to remain a complex, high-stakes balancing act for EU officials. This week’s “health check-in” meeting reflects intensifying efforts to safeguard democratic norms.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
