Renew Europe unveils 10-point plan to strengthen the Rule of Law in the EU

Ahead of the upcoming hearings with the Commissioners-designate, Renew Europe has today published a position paper setting out a 10-point action plan to strengthen the rule of law across the EU.

In the face of the growing threats against democracy and the independence of the judiciary in several Member States, Renew Europe proposes concrete measures that would enable the Union to have a stronger, coordinated EU response to counter these attacks. The paper outlines the Group's expectations of the new Commissioner for the Rule of Law for the 2024-2029 mandate and reflects Renew Europe's continued unwavering commitment to upholding democratic values and ensuring that all citizen's rights are protected.

Key elements of the 10-point plan include the extension of the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism to cover all EU funding programmes and the introduction of 'smart conditionality', which will allow EU funds to bypass governments that undermine the rule of law and instead support communities and civil society organisations working to uphold European values.

It also proposes the creation of a single EU mechanism for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights to ensure coordinated annual monitoring across Member States with links to concrete EU action. It further proposes to extend the mandate and funding of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) to fight corruption, and to create a new fund to restore the rule of law and support civil society initiatives.

Moritz Körner (FDP, Germany), the initiator of the position paper, said:

“The European Union must ensure that taxpayers’ money is not used to finance governments that systematically undermine the rule of law. The EU’s tools to protect the rule of law must be applied consistently to ensure that our financial resources are tied to democratic standards. Actions that threaten the single market and the core principles of the Union pose a direct risk to the Union’s credibility and cohesion. It is not enough to create mechanisms on paper; the EU must have the political will to enforce them. If we fail to protect the rule of law, we fail to safeguard the very foundation on which the EU was built.”

Read the whole paper here.