Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 October 2022
13. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role that the Government will seek to play to ensure that all European Union Member States adhere to the rule-of-law functions which guarantee fundamental protection of rights and values for all its citizens. [49073/22]
View answerThe EU is a union of laws and values. The rule of law is a fundamental principle for all EU Member States and it is of vital importance that the rule of law is preserved, protected, and promoted across the Union. I welcome Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s strong words on protecting the Rule of Law and our European values in her most recent State of the Union address.
Ireland has consistently supported the development of a more robust range of tools by the European Commission to ensure that Member States adhere to rule of law obligations as enshrined in the EU treaties. These tools include the Annual Rule of Law Report process and the Regulation on a General Regime of Conditionality for the Protection of the Union Budget. I welcome that this year’s Annual Rule of Law Report introduced new country specific recommendations as a means to further encourage progress on Rule of Law across all Member States and address difficulties. Ireland has also been a clear advocate for the budget conditionality regulation that aims to ensure rule of law challenges do not adversely affect sound financial management of EU funds.
Ireland remains concerned by the situation in those EU Member States where there are persistent challenges with respect to upholding the rule of law. We will continue to participate actively in the Article 7 Treaty on European Union (TEU) processes in relation to Poland and Hungary which were launched on foot of concerns regarding these Member States’ adherence to EU values. We will also engage fully in the upcoming Council of the EU discussions that will ultimately determine if EU funding to Hungary is suspended pursuant to the budget conditionality mechanism.
Ireland will continue to engage comprehensively with the EU’s multifaceted response to internal rule of law challenges and encourage continued dialogue on these issues among Member States.
