Parliamentary question - O-000007/2015Parliamentary question
O-000007/2015
European Parliament

New framework for the rule of law

30.1.2015

Question for oral answer O-000007/2015
to the Commission
Rule 128
Birgit Sippel, Tanja Fajon, Soraya Post, Sylvie Guillaume, Péter Niedermüller, Kati Piri, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, Damian Drăghici, Caterina Chinnici, Christine Revault D'Allonnes Bonnefoy, Hugues Bayet, Miltiadis Kyrkos, Daniele Viotti, Luigi Morgano, Emilian Pavel, on behalf of the S&D Group
Laura Ferrara, Ignazio Corrao

The rule of law is referred to in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) as one of the values on which the Union is founded, along with respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The rule of law is also mentioned in the preambles to the TEU and to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The abovementioned values and principles are not effectively ensured, or equally protected, in all the Member States.

The EU needs an effective instrument, supplementary to Article 7 TEU, for situations in which Member States are not providing protection from discrimination, marginalisation and persecution. There is a particular need for a surveillance mechanism in respect of discrimination and minority rights. Parliament has called for such a mechanism on several occasions, most recently in its resolution of 27 February 2014 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union[1] and its resolution of 12 March 2014 on the evaluation of justice in relation to criminal justice and the rule of law[2].

On 11 March 2014 the Commission put forward a communication setting out a framework for safeguarding the rule of law, and on 16 December 2014 the Council decided to initiate an annual dialogue on the rule of law. While this is a step in the right direction, it is not the effective mechanism for regular assessment of Member States’ compliance with the EU’s fundamental values that Parliament has called for.

1. How will the Commission proceed with its framework for addressing systematic threats to the rule of law that was tabled on 11 March 2014? How does the Commission intend to inform Parliament on a regular basis about the measures taken under this mechanism?

2. What further action will the Commission take to establish an effective mechanism for ensuring that the EU’s fundamental values are upheld in the Member States?

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