The European Union’s Rule of Law Report, published annually, monitors rule of law developments in Member States. Civil society groups have released a joint statement urging the Commission to broaden the scope of the report to include democracy and human rights, as well as enhancing the specificity of the recommendations and introduce a system for measuring implementation. The statement also stresses the importance of the rule of law in upholding the core values of the EU and warns of the contesting of the authority of the Court of Justice of the EU and the European Court of Human Rights. The report should more effectively address issues such as the use of abusive lawsuits to silence journalists and strengthen the participation of civil society and media organizations in the Rule of Law Mechanism dialogue. Civil society groups call on the EU to better protect human rights and the rule of law and ensure that EU Member States fully respect the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Read more here.
Source: EPI
