The European Parliament today backed the creation of a ‘scoreboard for democracy’, a new mechanism that would help ensure that member dtates do not threaten the rule of law or other fundamental principles that underpin modern liberal democracies.

S&D Group shadow rapporteur for the report on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, Monika Flašíková-Beňová MEP, said:

“When a country is applying to join the European Union, we have significant powers to monitor the rule of law situation in the country. This helps ensure that all new member states meet the highest possible standard regarding respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights. However, as soon as a country joins, this monitoring process stops. Today, the European Parliament has strongly backed our proposal for a ‘scoreboard for democracy’ that would ensure that existing member states continue to meet the standards we expect from those wanting to join the club. This is not just a theoretical discussion, recent developments in Hungary and Poland show that the EU needs to have new tools at its disposal to tackle threats to fundamental principles that underpin our democracies.“

S&D Group spokesperson for civil liberties, justice and home affairs, Birgit Sippel MEP, added:

“The European Union has a wide range of instruments for the enforcement of its laws and treaties when it comes to economic issues. The European Commission can order member states to adjust their budgets or tax schemes to make them compliant with EU law. Member states accept the fact they are bound to comply with EU law in these areas. This isn’t the case when it comes to enforcing democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. Today’s vote is a step in the right direction. Although we believe that the indicators for a breach of European values could be more precise, this report shows the strong support in the Parliament for clearer monitoring of member states that threaten the fundamental principles which underpin our modern societies.”


Note for editors

This Democracy Scoreboard should not only be an information tool but also an evaluation, monitoring and alerting tool, providing an overview of the compliance of member states with the fundamental principles of the European Union as enshrined in the EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The European Commission will now have to consider the Parliament’s report and put forward a reasoned response in due course.

MEPs involved
Coordinator
Germany