Dear Europeans,

The EU Commission presented its annual Rule of Law Report in Brussels today. It is now the fifth time that the Commission has distributed their take on the rule of law. The assessments for the member states are more optimistic this year. The EU Commission positively emphasizes that the governments of the Member States are actually implementing a large number of the recommendations. Nevertheless, there have been no positive developments in Hungary in recent years. Despite financial sanctions from Brussels, the Orban government has recently clamped down even harder on civil society and the last independent media. As a result, the EU Commission's verdict is almost devastating and attests that the Hungarian government has made no single progress in seven (!) areas. No other country got certified for no progress at all.

Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens, comments:

"The EU Commission proves once again that it is informed about the state of the rule of law in the Member States down to the smallest detail. Nevertheless, only in the case of Hungary are there financial consequences for violations of the rule of law. The EU Commission is thus failing to react at an early stage to negative developments such as those currently taking place in Italy and Slovakia. We need new mindset from Ursula von der Leyen here. It must be absolutely clear that there will be early financial sanctions from Brussels if governments act against the rule of law. Financial sanctions develop their full effect when they are applied early and regularly and are not seen as a last resort - we have seen this successfully in Poland."

"The state of the rule of law in Hungary remains appalling. Despite financial sanctions worth tens of billions, the Orban government has made no positive progress with reforms. On the contrary: things are at a standstill. Ursula von der Leyen must reconsider whether her approach to Hungary is still the right one. If reform targets from Brussels are systematically ignored, the EU Commission must step up and put even more EU funds on hold. Ursula von der Leyen must make it clear at the start of her second term of office that she finally wants to show a clear edge when it comes to the rule of law."

Click here for this year's Rule of Law Report: https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2024-rule-law-report-communication-and-country-chapters_en