Evaluation of the European Commission's annual reports on the rule of law in the European Union

Practical information

Composition of the study group & calendar

Administrator in charge: June Sørensen Bedaton / Assistant: Ania Darmetko Doudkine

Summary

Since 2020, the European Commission has produced an annual report on the rule of law in the European Union under the European Rule of Law Mechanism. The rule of law reports monitor significant developments, both positive and negative, relating to the rule of law across all Member States and focus on topics also studied within the Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law, such as the justice system, the anti-corruption framework, media pluralism and other institutional checks and balances.

The Own-Initiative Opinion proposed by the Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law (FRRL) aims to share the point of view of organised civil society on the results of the reports and how they might be improved.

Firstly, this Opinion will allow the EESC to help assess the state of play regarding the rule of law in the EU Member States, based on the EESC's original broad approach to the rule of law, addressing it together with fundamental rights. Based on the unique EESC perspective (building on the experience of civil society including social partners) and the information collected during the FRRL Group country visits, the Opinion would aim to improve the European Commission's annual reporting mechanism and make it more efficient and more open to civil society actors, including in candidate countries. The Opinion could also allow the EESC to further strengthen the active contribution of civil society organisations in both promoting the rule of law and preventing infringements of fundamental rights and the rule of law.