It has been said again in the European Parliament that the suspected cases will be investigated from 1 January. Parliament’s resolution drew attention to the fact that the provisions can be applied even if fundamental rights are “systematically violated and have – or may have – an impact on the management of EU funds”.

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a regulation to protect EU funds from abuses by governments that distort the rule of law. Under the new regulation, EU payments can be withheld from countries where there is evidence of a violation of the rule of law in the management of EU funds. At the same time, the European Union guarantees that the invoice will not be borne by the final beneficiaries.

“The rule of law will enter into force on January 1 and from then on all violations will be included, and the Commission will act without delay,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a debate in the European Parliament. at the EU summit last week. results. The president added that the board will adopt guidelines that do not change the legislation either, they only show how the provisions should be applied.

“Whichever case arises, we will resolve it immediately”

Von der Leyen declared.

On behalf of the German government that holds the rotating presidency, Secretary of State Michael Roth spoke about whether the Court of Justice of the European Communities would rule on the compatibility of the rule of law with the EU treaties. He expressed the hope that the verdict will also give a signal to those who allege a violation of the treaties on this issue, and that if that happens, “we cannot be divided.”

“Liberal democracies protect against injustice, terrorism, and health crises”

Secretary of State Roth said.

On behalf of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber spoke of the need for the Commission to be prepared to apply the rule of law mechanism from day one, but from now on the European Parliament will have no role to play. This is an independent procedure that the European Commission must carry out impartially, based on the facts, he added.

The EP’s far-right group Identidad y Democracia did not support the proposal. According to the group’s leader, Marco Zanni, since the EU is carried on the backs of the Member States, unanimity is the only way to make a decision. On the other hand, Ska Keller, speaking on behalf of the Greens, said that Hungary and Poland wanted to take the recovery program hostage, as the leaders of these countries serve neither the interests of the citizens nor the common Europe.

The Popular Party, Petri Sarvamaa, considered the adoption of the rule of law mechanism for all European citizens a great victory. After all, two and a half years when this was first discussed, many thought it would never happen.

Terry Reintke, a deputy from the German Green Party, put it that way

“The more the Hungarian government shouts that it has won, the more they try to cover up the facts. Viktor Orbán can no longer hide this with his outbursts. “

However, MEP Márton Gyöngyösi, a right-wing MEP, called the attention of other politicians not to think that Orbán would back down from this situation and respect European values. He called on parliament to request an emergency procedure when the matter reaches the courts so that the situation is clarified as soon as possible.

Katalin Cseh, representative of Momentum, spoke about the fact that as of January there can be no objections to the European Union in taking measures against corruption in Hungary.

“Now we have the tools that we will use, that is the message of our resolution”

Katalin Cseh said. The new legislation does not only apply when EU funds are specifically misused, for example through corruption or fraud. Legislation can also apply when fundamental rights that all Member States must respect, such as democracy or the independence of the judiciary, are systematically violated and have, or may have, an impact on the management of EU funds.

During the negotiations, MEPs managed to illustrate possible infractions with examples in a separate section. Examples include the threat to the independence of the judiciary, the lack of redress for arbitrary or illegal decisions, and the limitation of redress.

In a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, MEPs reminded the Commission that they have a number of legal instruments available to ensure that the Commission fulfills its obligations under the Treaty. This suggested that if the board postponed the initiation of the proceedings, they might be forced to do so within the legal framework.



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