Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
366. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether European Union member states that do not respect the rule of law should be banned from receiving aid from the EU coronavirus recovery fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23302/20]
View answerIreland firmly supports the rule of law as a core value of the European Union. The rule of law is and should remain a fundamental principle that all EU Member States respect, protect and promote.
The conclusions of the special meeting of the European Council in July this year state that a regime of conditionality, based on the general principles and values enshrined in the EU Treaties, will be introduced to protect the EU budget and the EU Covid-19 recovery fund, known as Next Generation EU (NGEU).
This will involve difficult discussions at Council level as a number of Member States strongly support the use of protective measures, adopted by qualified majority, while others oppose such measures.
Ireland supports the introduction of such conditionality, based on EU values including the rule of law, to protect both the EU budget and NGEU. Once the regime of conditionality is introduced, Ireland will support its fair, proportionate and effective implementation in appropriate situations after due process.
