The European Union's executive body has stated that democracy in the EU has not significantly deteriorated over the past year in areas such as media and court freedoms or
efforts to combat corruption. The EU's latest rule of law report, which provides an assessment of democracy in EU member states, was released by the European Commission. Last year's report raised serious concerns about the rule of law in Poland and Hungary, leading to the withholding of EU funds. However, the current report does not indicate any radical backsliding in any member state.
According to Vera Jourova, Deputy Head of the Commission, while there have been some improvements in the independence of the judiciary in Hungary, there are still areas where progress is needed, including media independence and the prosecution of high-level corruption. Jourova emphasized that there is always room for improvement and expressed her overall dissatisfaction.
The report received criticism from the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, a human rights watchdog group based in Berlin. The group accused the Commission of embellishing the reality by highlighting progress in Hungary. They argued that most member states have made little effort to address rule of law issues or have even exacerbated the situation in various areas.
The report also pointed out "worrying developments" regarding NGOs and media in Italy and Sweden. It highlighted the overall rule of law situation as continuing to move in the wrong direction in most member states. Specifically, media pluralism was considered to be at high risk in several countries, including Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Hungary.
Concerns were raised about Poland's lack of progress in addressing recommendations related to the independence of state prosecutions and fair procedures in awarding media licenses. The report also expressed serious concerns about the state of judiciary in Spain, ahead of the country's national election on July 23. It did not explicitly mention the recent riots in France triggered by the police shooting of a teenager, nor did it extensively address the issue of excessive force by the police in the country.
Jourova stated that it is the responsibility of the courts in France to assess each situation individually.
Overall, while the EU's latest rule of law report did not indicate a significant deterioration in democracy across the bloc, there are still areas of concern and room for improvement in various member states. The report's findings highlight the ongoing need to address issues related to media freedom, judiciary independence, and the fight against corruption to ensure the continued strength and resilience of democracy within the European Union.