It is not just about democracy, but also about the rule of law and fundamental rights that are endangered in these countries. During the debate in Strasbourg, MEPs raised the alarm: they believe the European Commission is not doing enough against governments showing authoritarian tendencies that seek to undermine democracy. According to them, the Commission's passivity applies to EU values and fundamental rights.
Regarding the independence of the judiciary, the Parliament points to differences between EU countries. This primarily concerns the appointment of high judges, such as in Hungary. Democratic institutions are also being altered in other countries. For example, Slovakia proposes to adjust institutions and the media landscape, and organizations receiving foreign funding are under attack.
At the same time, corruption remains a major concern for the Parliament, which again condemns systematic, discriminatory, non-transparent, and unfair practices in EU countries. In Hungary, several companies draw from EU funds to enrich political friends of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government.
In Greece, three young Roma were murdered recently, the Parliament states. The independence of supervisory authorities is also threatened there. Take, for example, the Greek handling of the spyware scandal. Moreover, the Parliament has objections to the proposed amnesty law in Spain, which would grant amnesty to convicted Catalan offenders of the constitution.
In a resolution, MEPs regret the excessive violence and discriminatory treatment by the Greek police against demonstrators. The same occurs in France, where, in addition to disproportionate violence against protesters, an unnecessarily large number of demonstrators are arrested.
The European Parliament also notes that the rights of minorities are being undermined in several EU member states. This affects religious groups, LGBTIQ+ people, women, refugees, and migrants.
The EP rapporteur on the annual rule of law situation, Dutch MEP Sophie in Veld (Renew/D66), called on the European Commission to take stronger action against EU governments that harm the rights of EU citizens. "People have the right to know how the rule of law stands in their country. Where the rule of law deteriorates, problems that directly affect people get the chance to develop.
Increasing corruption, in particular, is such a problem. Not long ago, we saw how covid prevention resources fell into the wrong hands due to corruption. Today marks a year since a deadly train crash occurred in Greece that could have been avoided if European money for rail safety had not been embezzled. An example of how corruption can have very deadly consequences."