European Commission publishes first report on the rule of law

The purpose of the new Rule of Law Report is to strengthen the means available to the European Union to support the rule of law in the EU and to prevent problems with upholding the rule of law. The aim is to help Member States respond to current challenges related to the rule of law and draw on the experiences of other Member States.

The rule of law is the cornerstone of all modern constitutional democracies. It is also one of the key values on which the EU is founded, and by which all Member States agreed to be bound when joining the EU.

Finland considers it very good and useful that the Commission’s work on strengthening compliance with the rule of law is underway and fully supports it. The new annual rule of law cycle and related annual report are a significant and welcome reform that will allow for more stringent and efficient work on the rule of law and will facilitate the exchange of best practices. Above all, it is essential to promote measures to prevent problems with the rule of law.

The report summarises the rule of law situation in each Member State and highlights significant progress made at the EU level. The report is part of the Commission’s new annual rule of law cycle, which covers all Member States.

This autumn, the EU General Affairs Council plans to hold discussions on the rule of law situation based the Commission's report.

“We consider the Commission’s Rule of Law Report an important element in the EU's rule of law toolbox, and it is great that we will now be able to discuss it in the Council for the first time. This is also something we worked on during Finland’s Presidency,” says Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen.

Inquiries: Päivi Pietarinen, Senior Specialist in EU Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office, tel. +358 2951 60354, [email protected]

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