The Commission has today published the third annual Rule of Law Report. The report comes in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which further showcased the importance of upholding democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.
It includes an overview of the trends in the EU as a whole and 27 country chapters looking at developments in every Member State since July 2021. This year's report for the first time contains specific recommendations addressed to each Member State, as announced by President von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the Union address. The recommendations are intended to encourage Member States to take forward ongoing or planned reforms and help them identify where improvements are needed.
As with previous editions, this report examines developments in four key areas for the rule of law: justice systems, the anti-corruption framework, media pluralism and freedom, and other institutional issues linked to checks and balances. The report shows that rule of law reforms have continued to take place in many Member States to address challenges identified in the previous two editions. At the same time, systemic concerns remain in some Member States.
The report follows-up on challenges identified in previous reports, deepens the Commission's assessment, and includes observations also on issues such as public service media, the use of spyware or the implementation of judgements by the European Court of Human Rights.
