This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Compromise amendments The Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law report'.


European Parliament
2019-2024
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
2020/2025(INI)
19.04.2022
DRAFT COMPROMISE
AMENDMENTS
Terry Reintke
(PE704.642v01-00)
The Commission’s 2021 Rule of law report
(2021/2025(INI))

PR_INI
CONTENTS
Page
MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION............................................ 3

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION
on the Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report
(2021/2180(INI))

COMP AM 1 – CITATIONS
Ams covered: 1 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 2 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 3 (Anna Júlia
Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner,
Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't
Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache), 4 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang,
Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro
Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut,
Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov,
Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz
Kohut), 7 (Terry Reintke), 9 (Lukas Mandl), 17 (Lukas Mandl), 21 (Lukas Mandl), 22 (Thijs
Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov,
Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz
Kohut), 23 (Clare Daly), 24 (Clare Daly), 39 (Clare Daly), 40 (Diana Riba i Giner), 41
(Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Emil Radev), 42 (Łukasz Kohut, Birgit Sippel,
Bettina Vollath, Robert Biedroń, Róża Thun und Hohenstein, Cyrus Engerer), 43 (Vladimír
Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil Radev), 44 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel
Wiseler-Lima, Emil Radev), BUDG A, BUDG 6, PETI 22
Ams falling: 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,
34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
The European Parliament,

having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and in particular Article 2,
Article 3(1), Article 3(3), second subparagraph, Article 4(3) and Articles 5, 6, 7, 11, 19
(AM 1 EPP) and 49 thereof,

having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and in
particular the articles thereof relating to respect for and the protection and promotion of
democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the Union, including Articles 70,
258, 259, 260, 263, 265 and 267, (AM 2 EPP)

having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (hereinafter
‘the Charter’),

having regard to the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU),
especially to the decisions in Cases C-156/21 Hungary v Parliament and Council and
C-157/21 Poland v Parliament and Council on the measures for the protection of the
Union budget, (AM 3 Renew, AM 4 S&D, AM 39 The Left, AM 42 Renew)

having regard to the Commission communication of 20 July 2021 on the 2021 Rule of
Law Report – the rule of law situation in the European Union (COM(2021)0700),


having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the
processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing
Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), (AM 9 EPP)

having regard to Directive (EU) 2018/1808 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 14 November 2018 amending Directive 2010/13/EU on the coordination of
certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member
States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media
Services Directive) in view of changing market realities; (AM 17 EPP)

having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the
protection of the Union budget1 (the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation),

having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/692 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values
programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1381/2013 of the European Parliament
and of the Council and Council Regulation (EU) No 390/20142,

having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

having regard to the UN instruments on the protection of human rights and fundamental
freedoms and the recommendations and reports of the UN Universal Periodic Review,
as well as the case-law of the UN treaty bodies and the special procedures of the
Human Rights Council,

having regard to the recommendations and reports of the Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the
Representative on Freedom of the Media and other bodies of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),

having regard to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms, the European Social Charter, the case-law of the European
Court of Human Rights and the European Committee of Social Rights, and the
conventions, recommendations, resolutions, opinions and reports of the Parliamentary
Assembly, the Committee of Ministers, the Human Rights Commissioner, the European
Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, the Steering Committee on Anti-
Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion, the Venice Commission and other bodies of
the Council of Europe,

having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of Europe
and the European Union of 23 May 2007 and the Council conclusions of 8 July 2020 on
EU priorities for cooperation with the Council of Europe 2020-2022,

having regard to the Commission’s reasoned proposal for a Council decision of
20 December 2017 on the determination of a clear risk of a serious breach by the
Republic of Poland of the rule of law, issued in accordance with Article 7(1) TEU
1 OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 1.
2 OJ L 156, 5.5.2021, p. 1.

(COM(2017)0835),

having regard to the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025 launched in September
2020, (AM 7 Greens/EFA)

having regard to the report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights of 10 September
2020 entitled ‘Antisemitism: Overview of antisemitic incidents recorded in the
European Union’; (AM 21 EPP)

having regard to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights’ report of 22 September 2021
entitled ‘Protecting civic space in the EU’, and its other reports, data and tools, in
particular the European Union Fundamental Rights Information System (EFRIS),

having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2016 with recommendations to the
Commission on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law
and fundamental rights3,

having regard to its resolution of 1 March 2018 on the Commission’s decision to
activate Article 7(1) TEU as regards the situation in Poland4,

having regard to its resolution of 19 April 2018 on the need to establish a European
Values Instrument to support civil society organisations which promote fundamental
values within the European Union at local and national level5,

having regard to its resolution of 12 September 2018 on a proposal calling on the
Council to determine, pursuant to Article 7(1) TEU, the existence of a clear risk of a
serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded6,

having regard to its resolution of 14 November 2018 on the need for a comprehensive
EU mechanism for the protection of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental
rights7,

having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2020 on ongoing hearings under
Article 7(1) TEU regarding Poland and Hungary8,

having regard to its resolution of 8 October 2020 on the rule of law and fundamental
rights in Bulgaria9, (AM 23 The Left)

having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2020 on the establishment of an EU
Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights10,

having regard to its resolution of 13 November 2020 on the impact of COVID-19
measures on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, (AM 22 S&D)
3 OJ C 215, 19.6.2018, p. 162.
4 OJ C 129, 5.4.2019, p. 13.
5 OJ C 390, 18.11.2019, p. 117.
6 OJ C 433, 23.12.2019, p. 66.
7 OJ C 363, 28.10.2020, p. 45.
8 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0014.
9 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0264.
10 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0251.


having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2020 on the situation of Fundamental
Rights in the European Union - Annual Report for the years 2018 – 201911(AM 24
The Left)

having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law
Report12,

having regard to its resolution of 8 July 2021 on the creation of guidelines for the
application of the general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union
budget13,

having regard to its resolution of 8 July 2021 on breaches of EU law and of the rights of
LGBTIQ citizens in Hungary as a result of the legal changes adopted by the Hungarian
Parliament14,

having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2021 on LGBTIQ rights in the EU15,

having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 on media freedom and further
deterioration of the rule of law in Poland16,

having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2021 on Europe’s media in the digital
decade: an action plan to support recovery and transformation, (AM 43 EPP)

having regard to its resolution of 21 October 2021 on the rule of law crisis in Poland
and the primacy of EU law17,

having regard to its resolution of 11 November 2021 on strengthening democracy and
media freedom and pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and
criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society18,

having regard to its resolution of 11 November 2021 on the first anniversary of the de
facto abortion ban in Poland19,

having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2021 on the evaluation of preventive
measures for avoiding corruption, irregular spending and misuse of EU and national
funds in case of emergency funds and crisis-related spending areas20,

having regard to its resolution of 16 December 2021 on fundamental rights and the rule
of law in Slovenia, in particular the delayed nomination of EPPO prosecutors21,
-
having regard to its resolution of 9 March 2022 on foreign interference in all
11 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0512.
12 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0313.
13 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0348.
14 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0362.
15 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0366.
16 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0395.
17 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0439.
18 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0451.
19 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0455.
20 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0502.
21 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0512.

democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation22,

having regard to European Court of Auditors Special Report 09/2021: Disinformation
affecting the EU: tackled but not tamed, (AM 44 EPP),

having regard to European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022: EU support for
the rule of law in the Western Balkans: despite efforts, fundamental problems persist
(AM 41 EPP)

having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the opinions of the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Committee
on Legal Affairs, the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs
and the Committee on Petitions,

having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home
Affairs (A9-0000/2022),
COMP  AM  2 - RECITALS on  recitals  A,  Aa  (new),  B,  C,  Ca  (new),  Cb  (new),  D,  Da
(new), Db (new), Dc (new), Dd (new), De (new), Df (new), Dg (new)

Ams  covered: 46  (Nathalie  Colin-Oesterlé),  47  (Anna  Júlia  Donáth,  Lucia  Ďuriš
Nicholsonová,  Michal  Šimečka,  Fabienne  Keller,  Moritz  Körner,  Ramona  Strugariu,  Hilde
Vautmans,  Maite  Pagazaurtundúa,  Olivier  Chastel,  Sophia  in  't  Veld,  Malik  Azmani,  Jan-
Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 49 (Clare Daly), 53 (Anna
Júlia  Donáth,  Lucia  Ďuriš  Nicholsonová,  Michal  Šimečka,  Fabienne  Keller,  Moritz  Körner,
Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld,
Malik  Azmani,  Jan-Christoph  Oetjen,  Dragoş  Tudorache,  Róża  Thun  und  Hohenstein),  70
(Anna  Júlia  Donáth,  Lucia  Ďuriš  Nicholsonová,  Michal  Šimečka,  Fabienne  Keller,  Moritz
Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia
in  't  Veld,  Malik  Azmani,  Jan-Christoph  Oetjen,  Dragoş  Tudorache,  Róża  Thun  und
Hohenstein), 71 (Clare Daly), 72 (Emil Radev), 75 (Dragos Tudorache), 76 (Łukasz Kohut,
Bettina  Vollath,  Robert  Biedroń,  Róża  Thun  und  Hohenstein,  Cyrus  Engerer),  (77  Łukasz
Kohut,  Birgit  Sippel,  Bettina  Vollath,  Andrzej  Halicki,  Robert  Biedroń, Róża  Thun  und
Hohenstein,  Cyrus  Engerer),  82  (Maria  Grapini),  85  (Emil  Radev,  Vladimír  Bilčík),  87
(Nathalie  Colin-Oesterlé),  90  (Marc  Angel,  Pierre  Karleskind,  Terry  Reintke,  Maria  Walsh,
Michal Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner,  Thijs Reuten, Alice
Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Clare Daly, Sylwia
Spurek),  93  (Dragoş  Tudorache),  94  (Lukas  Mandl),  95  (Diana  Riba  i  Giner),  96  (Nathalie
Colin-Oesterlé), PETI 4
Ams falling: 45, 48, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73,
74, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 88, 92, 97, 100, 101, 104
22 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0064.

Voted separately: 57, 58, 102
A.
whereas the Union is founded on the common values enshrined in Article 2 TEU of
respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect
for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities – values that
are common to the EU Member States and to which candidate countries must adhere in
order to join the Union as part of the Copenhagen criteria, which cannot be disregarded
or reinterpreted after accession (AM 47 Renew); whereas democracy, the rule of law
and fundamental rights are mutually reinforcing values which, when undermined, may
pose a systemic threat to the Union and the rights and freedoms of its citizens (AM 49
The Left); whereas respect for the rule of law is binding on the Union as a whole and its
Member States at all levels of governance, including subnational entities; (AM 46 EPP,
PETI 4)
Aa.
whereas the principle of sincere cooperation in Article 4(3) TEU provides for an
obligation on the Union and the Member States to assist each other in carrying out
obligations which arise from the Treaties in full mutual respect and on Member States
to take any appropriate measure, general or in particular, to ensure the fulfilment of the
obligations arising out of the Treaties or resulting from the acts of the institutions of the
Union; (AM 53 Renew)
B.
whereas the annual rule of law review cycle is a welcome addition to the tools available
to preserve the Article 2 TEU values by addressing the situation in all EU Member
States in a report based on four pillars with a direct bearing on respect for the rule of
law; (AM 62 EPP)
C.
whereas without concrete recommendations and (AM 70 Renew) effective follow-up,
the rule of law report may fail to prevent, detect and effectively and timely (AM 71 The
Left) address systemic challenges and backsliding on the rule of law, as witnessed in
several EU Member States in recent years;
Ca.
whereas the Member States introduced emergency measures to respond to the COVID-
19 pandemic (AM 96 EPP); whereas, in order to be lawful, these needed to respect the
principles of necessity and proportionality when restricting fundamental rights or basic
freedoms; whereas some Member States have seen a negative trend on the rule of law
as governments have used the extraordinary measures as an excuse to weaken
democratic checks and balances; (AM 75 Renew)
D.
whereas it is necessary to strengthen and streamline existing mechanisms and to
develop a single comprehensive (AM 82 S&D) EU mechanism to protect (AM 87 EPP)
democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights effectively and (AM 87 EPP, AM 94
EPP) to ensure that Article 2 TEU values are upheld throughout the Union and with
regards to candidate countries, albeit subject to a different monitoring regime (AM 85
EPP), so that Member States are prevented from developing domestic law that runs
counter to the protection of Article 2 TEU (AM 81 Renew);
Da.
whereas the rights to freedom of expression and information and the right to public
participation are among the cornerstones of democracy; (AM 95 Greens/EFA)
Db.
whereas the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on Combatting Hate Speech

has prepared a draft Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Hate Speech, which
provides non-binding guidance on how to address the phenomenon, currently awaiting
adoption in 202223; whereas the newly established Committee of Experts on
Combatting Hate Crime is tasked with preparing until end of 2023 a draft Committee of
Ministers Recommendation on Hate Crime; (AM 90 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The
Left)
Dc. whereas the Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values Programme allows for direct flexible
support to civil society actors promoting and protecting the values enshrined in Article
2 TEU at local, national and European level; (AM 77 S&D + EPP + Renew)
COMP AM 3 on Subsection “The 2021 Rule of Law Report: general considerations” -
paragraphs 1, 2, 3

Ams covered: 110 (Clare Daly), 111 (Thijs Reuten), 122 (Clare Daly), 140 (Terry Reintke),
143 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz
Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia
in  't  Veld,  Malik  Azmani,  Jan-Christoph  Oetjen,  Dragoş  Tudorache,  Róża  Thun  und
Hohenstein), 144 (Clare Daly), BUDG 7, CONT 24, JURI 5, JURI 11, PETI 3, AFCO 1, AFCO
3
Ams falling: AM 109, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 124, 126, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133,
134, 142, 146, 147, 156, 157, 158, 160, 163, 164, PETI 2
Voted separately: AM 121, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155
The 2021 Rule of Law Report: general considerations
1.
Welcomes the Commission’s second annual rule of law report (AFCO 1); notes that the
Parliament is making regular use of this annual report as a source of information and
input when discussing the rule of law situation in a specific Member State (AM 111
S&D); regrets the fact that the Commission did not address in full the recommendations
made by Parliament in its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the Commission’s 2020 Rule
of Law Report, in particular the expansion of the scope of its reporting to cover all
values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, the differentiation between systemic and individual
breaches, and a more in-depth, transparent assessment, including taking actions in
response to breaches (AM 110 The Left, BUDG 7, PETI 3); considers that these
recommendations remain valid and reiterates them;
2.
Welcomes the fact that the functioning of justice systems, the anti-corruption framework,
media pluralism and certain institutional issues related to checks and balances, including
civic space to a certain extent, are all part of the Commission’s annual report; regrets,
however, that not all rule of law issues were covered in sufficient detail or breadth (AM
122  The  Left)  in  the  2021  report;  suggests  that  the  Commission  analyses  rule  of  law
issues in each pillar through the prism of all the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU and
23 Draft text of the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Combating Hate Speech, accessible at
https://rm.coe.int/draft-recommendation-on-combating-hate-speech-public-consultation-v-
18/native/1680a2ef25; News announced at https://www.coe.int/en/web/committee-antidiscrimination-
diversity-inclusion/-/the-cdadi-finalised-important-deliverables-at-its-fourth-plenary-meeting.


fundamental rights as described in the Charter of Fundamental Rights (AM 122 The Left,
JURI 11): calls for the inclusion in the annual report of other important elements of the
Venice Commission’s 2016 Rule of Law Checklist, such as the prevention of abuse of
powers, equality before the law and non-discrimination and access to justice including
aspects of the right to a fair trial; reiterates its call on the Commission to include in future
reports an evaluation of prison conditions; (AM 122 The Left, AFCO 3)
3.
Notes with satisfaction that the report contains country-specific chapters (JURI 5);
commends the Commission’s efforts to engage with national governments, national
parliaments and the European Parliament (AM 141 EPP), as well as civil society and
other national actors; calls on the Member States to cooperate proactively with the
Commission and make public their written submissions (AM 140 Greens/EFA), so as
to enable independent experts and civil society groups to fact-check and react to them
and to ensure full transparency (AM 144 The Left, CONT 24)encourages the
Commission to continue (AM 140 Greens/EFA)  deepening the analysis, and invites the
Commission to ensure proper resources for this, including human resources, in a bid to
attain outreach to a wide and diverse range of stakeholders (AM 144 The Left);
believes that more time and importance should be given to the Commission’s country
visits, especially on site; calls on the Commission to raise greater awareness of these
visits among the public in order to foster a rule of law culture at national level (AM 143
Renew); welcomes the visits conducted by the Commission to national parliaments in
order to present the findings of the report;
COMP AM 4 on Subsection II “Methodology” - paragraphs 4, 5, 6a (new), 7, 8 (except
paragraph 6)

Ams covered: 148 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne
Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Sophia in
't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein),
159  (Clare  Daly),  161  (Maria  Grapini),  162  (Terry  Reintke),  172  (Maite  Pagazaurtundúa,
Fabienne Keller, Michal Šimečka, Malik Azmani, Dragoş Tudorache), 178 (Clare Daly), 180
(Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 182 (Lukas Mandl), 185 (Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller,
Michal  Šimečka,  Malik  Azmani,  Dragoş  Tudorache),  187  (Anna  Júlia  Donáth,  Lucia  Ďuriš
Nicholsonová,  Michal  Šimečka,  Fabienne  Keller,  Moritz  Körner,  Ramona  Strugariu,  Hilde
Vautmans,  Maite  Pagazaurtundúa,  Olivier  Chastel,  Sophia  in  't  Veld,  Malik  Azmani,  Jan-
Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 191  (Thijs Reuten, Paul
Tang,  Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie  Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina Vollath,
Pietro Bartolo, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 192 (Marc
Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde
Vautmans,  Diana  Riba  i  Giner,  Thijs  Reuten,  Alice  Kuhnke,  Gwendoline  Delbos-Corfield,
Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Sylwia Spurek), 195 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 196 (Thijs
Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina
Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), BUDG 5, JURI 1,
JURI 5, JURI 11, AFCO 2, AFCO 8; PETI 8
Ams falling: 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 173, 176, 177, 179, 181, 183, 184, 189, 193,
194, 197, 198, PETI 10, AFCO 7, AFCO 10, CONT 6, CONT 8, CONT 16

Ams voted separately: 174, 175
II. Methodology
4.
Stresses (AM 161 S&D) the fact that all Member States are scrutinised according to the
same indicators and methodology, with no discrimination against any Member State
(AM 159 The Left, AM 161 S&D, JURI 5); calls on the Commission to elaborate on its
indicators used to assess the Member States' rule of law situation (AM 159 The Left);
calls on the Commission to instate an annual EU Values Week each September, in
which the report is presented to the European Parliament and national parliaments at
the same time and better integrated within the EU Justice Scoreboard, the fundamental
rights report of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, and the Media Pluralism Monitor
(AFCO 7); is of the opinion that the rule of law report is currently a descriptive
documentation of the situation in the Member States, but should be an analytical and
prescriptive instrument in order to fulfil its preventive and mitigating purposes (AM
148 Renew, AM 200 S&D, AFCO 10, CONT 6); stresses that a thorough analysis of
the state of play in the Member States requires an overall analysis and evaluation of the
rule of law in the Member States (AM 148 Renew)emphasises that presenting
deficiencies or breaches of a different nature or intensity risks trivialising the most
serious breaches of the rule of law; urges the Commission to differentiate its reporting
by distinguishing between systemic and deliberate (AM 161 S&D) breaches of the rule
of law and isolated breaches in a clearer and more comprehensible way (AM 159 The
Left, AM 162 Greens/EFA, BUDG 5, JURI 11, AFCO 8);
5.
Regrets the fact that the report fails to clearly recognise the deliberate process of the
rule of law backsliding in countries subject to ongoing Article 7(1) TEU procedures,
notably Poland and Hungary (CONT 22) and to identify rule of law deficiencies in a
number of Member States; calls on the Commission to make clear that when the Article
2 TEU values are being systematically, deliberately, gravely and permanently violated
over a period of time, Member States could fail to meet (AM 172 Renew) all criteria
that define a democracy and become authoritarian regimes;
6a.
Calls on the Commission to conclude each country chapter with an assessment of the
Member States’ performance vis-à-vis the individual pillars of the report, indicating the
extent to which the conditions of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation have been
fulfilled; (AFCO 13) calls, therefore, on the Commission to develop, in addition to the
qualitative assessment, a rule of law index for the different pillars based on an
objective, accessible, transparent, legible and non-discriminatory system for
presentation and comparative analysis (rule of law index) for the different pillars
conducted by independent experts, which could signal the level of respect for the rule
of law in the Member States; (AM 148 Renew; AM 159 The Left)
7.
Considers that the annual report should identify cross-cutting trends, including possible
systemic vulnerabilities, at EU level (AM 159 The Left); asks the Commission to
identify instances where measures or practices that undermine the rule of law in one
Member State become or risk to become blueprints for others (AM 195 EPP, JURI 11);
highlights that the intentional targeting of minority groups’ rights in some Member
States have created and established a momentum elsewhere, as can be evidenced by
backtracking on the rights of women, LGBTIQ persons and other minority groups (AM
192 S&D, Greens/EFA, EPP, Renew, CONT 16); calls on the Commission,
furthermore, to highlight the negative effect that breaches of the rule of law can have on

(AM 195 EPP) the Union as a whole; (JURI 1)
8.
Considers that the report should go beyond annual snapshots and provide an evolutive
and dynamic view of the respect or the backsliding on rule of law in the justice systems
of all Member States (JURI 11); commends the effort of the 2021 report to compare the
situation with that of the 2020 report; believes that it is necessary to identify clearly
positive and negative trends as regards the rule of law situation and provide an analysis
of the underlying reasons for that;
8a.
Considers that a distinct new chapter on the Union institutions, which would assess the
situation in relation to separation of powers, accountability and checks and balances,
would be desirable (AM 140 Greens/EFA, CONT 8);
COMP AM 4A - paragraph 6
Ams covered: 178 (Clare Daly), 180 (Colin-Oesterlé), 182 (Lukasz Mandl), 185
(Pagazaurtundúa, Keller, Šimečka, Azmani, Tudorache), AFCO 2, PETI 8
Ams falling: 176, 177, 179, 181, 183, 184
6.
Regrets the fact that several Member States, in particular Hungary and Poland, had to
be mentioned several times by the Commission as points of concern in the synthesis
report and that no tangible improvements have been made since the report was
published (AM 180 EPP, AFCO 2); recalls that since June 2021 Parliament has also
addressed the rule of law situation in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia in its plenary
resolutions; further recalls that Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and
Home Affairs’ Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group
and the Committee on Budgetary Control have (AM 182 EPP) also addressed problems
(AM 185 Renew) in several Member (PETI 8); stresses that, after having conducted
several ad-hoc delegations to some of these Member States, it has become clear that the
situation of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in these member States
is far worse than what was described by the Commission in its report; believes that in
order to better identify the backsliding countries the Commission should carry out a
more comprehensive assessment of the same elements in all country chapters; (AM 178
The Left)
COMP AM 5 on Subsection “Assessment and recommendations” – paragraphs 9, 10, 11
Ams  covered: 200  (Thijs  Reuten,  Paul  Tang,  Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie
Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro  Bartolo,  Birgit  Sippel,  Cyrus  Engerer,
Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 201 (Andrzej Halicki, Vladimír Bilčík), 202
(Clare Daly), 205 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Emil Radev), 207 (Thijs Reuten, Paul
Tang,  Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie  Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,
Pietro Bartolo, Giuliano  Pisapia, Katarina  Barley, Łukasz Kohut). 217 (Terry Reintke), 218
(Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov,

Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro  Bartolo,  Cyrus  Engerer,  Giuliano  Pisapia,  Katarina  Barley,  Łukasz
Kohut), BUDG 12, JURI 12, AFCO 13
Ams falling: 199, 203, 206, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216
Assessment and recommendations
9.
Considers that the 2021 report could have provided clearer assessments, stating whether
there were deficiencies, a risk of a serious breach or an actual breach of Article 2 TEU
values in each of the pillars analysed in the country chapters; invites the Commission to
include an assessment of all rule of law measures implemented in the previous year,
accompanied by an analysis of their effectiveness and possible avenues for
improvement (AM 196 S&D)calls for a more integrated analysis on the interlinkages
between the four pillars and of how combined deficiencies may amount to breaches or
risks of breaches of Article 2 TEU values; reiterates the importance of using direct,
unambiguous language, and to clearly underline the issue at hand in line with the
Commission's position; (AM 202 The Left)
10.
Welcomes the Commission’s intention to include country-specific recommendations in
the 2022 report; calls on the Commission to accompany such recommendations with
deadlines for implementation, targets and concrete actions to be taken; calls on the
Commission to include in subsequent reports information on progress made on the
implementation of its recommendations, and, in addition, to engage in a be part of the
structured 
dialogue with the Parliament throughout the year (AM 207 S&D); calls on
the Commission to ensure that its annual reports also focus on any relevant country-
specific recommendations for the European Semester, notably those linked to the
independence of the judiciary and the public prosecutor and to fighting corruption and
ensuring transparency and integrity (BUDG 12)(JURI 12)
11.
Recommends that the Commission indicates next to each of its recommendations the
non-exhaustive list of tools which are appropriate to use by EU institutions in case the
shortcomings are not remedied (AM 217 Greens/EFA); calls on the Commission to not
(AM 217 Greens/EFA) hesitate in using those tools, especially when there is no trust in
a quick implementation of the recommendations or a risk of further deterioration (AM
218 S&D), without waiting for the next annual reporting cycle (AM 217 Greens/EFA);
COMP AM 6 on Subsection “Scope” – paragraphs 12, 12a (new), 12b (new), 12c (new),
12d (new), 12e (new), 12f (new), 12g (new), 12h (new), 12i (new), 12j (new), 12k
(new), 12m (new), 12n (new), 12o (new), 12p (new), 12q (new), 12r (new), 12s
(new), 12t (new), 12u (new), 12v (new) (except paragraph 12l)

Ams  covered: AM  89  (Thijs  Reuten,  Paul  Tang,  Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie
Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro  Bartolo,  Birgit  Sippel,  Giuliano  Pisapia,
Katarina  Barley,  Łukasz  Kohut),  AM  91  (Vladimír  Bilčík,  Isabel  Wiseler-Lima,  Andrzej
Halicki, Emil Radev), AM 98 (Diana Riba i Giner), AM 99 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-
Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil Radev), AM 103 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej
Halicki, Emil Radev), 122 (Clare Daly), 125 (Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller, Malik

Azmani, Michal Šimečka, Dragoş Tudorache), 127 (Terry Reintke, Tineke Strik), 130 (Anna
Júlia  Donáth,  Lucia  Ďuriš  Nicholsonová,  Michal  Šimečka,  Fabienne  Keller,  Moritz  Körner,
Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani,
Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 134 (Cristian Terheş),
135 (Javier Zarzalejos), 136 (Lukas Mandl), 137 (Javier Zarzalejos), 138 (Lukas Mandl), 149
(Cristian Terheş), 150 (Lukas Mandl), 204 (Andrzej Halicki, Vladimír Bilčík), 219 (Dragoş
Tudorache), 226 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume,
Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro  Bartolo,  Cyrus  Engerer,  Giuliano  Pisapia,  Katarina
Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 227 (Laura Ferrara, Sabrina Pignedoli), 228 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang,
Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie  Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro
Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 229
(Diana Riba i Giner), 230 (Terry Reintke, Diana Riba i Giner), 232 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang,
Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie  Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro
Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 234
(Nathalie  Colin-Oesterlé),  235  (Thijs  Reuten,  Paul  Tang,  Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,
Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus Engerer,
Giuliano  Pisapia,  Katarina  Barley,  Łukasz  Kohut),  237  (Thijs  Reuten,  Paul  Tang,  Franco
Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov,  Bettina Vollath, Pietro  Bartolo,
Birgit Sippel, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 255 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang,
Franco  Roberti,  Elena  Yoncheva,  Sylvie  Guillaume,  Petar  Vitanov,  Bettina  Vollath,  Pietro
Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 256 (Terry Reintke,
Tineke  Strik), 257  (Terry  Reintke), 258  (Terry  Reintke,  Diana  Riba  i  Giner),  259  (Terry
Reintke, Diana Riba i Giner), 261 (Terry Reintke, Tineke Strik), 269 (Laura Ferrara, Sabrina
Pignedoli),  270  (Laura  Ferrara,  Sabrina  Pignedoli),
AM  271 (Laura  Ferrara,  Sabrina
Pignedoli), 376 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), BUDG 4, BUDG 10, BUDG 11, BUDG 14, JURI
2, JURI 3, JURI 4, JURI 5, JURI 6, JURI 7, JURI 9, JURI 14, JURI 15, JURI 16, PETI 4, PETI
5, PETI 6, PETI 7, PETI 11, PETI 12, PETI 13, PETI 15, PETI 16, PETI 24, CONT 7, CONT
9, CONT 10, CONT 11, CONT 12, CONT 13, CONT 14, CONT 15, CONT 17, CONT 19,
CONT 20, CONT 21, CONT 23, AFCO 4, AFCO 5, AFCO 6
Ams falling: 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 233, 236, BUDG 9, PETI 14
Scope
12.
Regrets the fact that both the 2020 and the 2021 report fail (AM 226 S&D) to fully
encompass the Article 2 TEU values of democracy and fundamental rights, which are
immediately affected when countries start backsliding on the rule of law; reiterates the
intrinsic link between the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights (AFCO 5);
- Justice systems
12a. Emphasises that judicial accountability, prosecutorial and judicial independence and the
enforcement of judgments are crucial components of the rule of law (AM 125 Renew,
JURI 5, PETI 4, CONT 11); deplores the serious and structural problems regarding
judicial independence in certain Member States (AM 228 S&D, JURI 8); stresses the
fundamental role of the legal professions in ensuring the protection of fundamental
rights and strengthening the rule of law; (JURI 7) calls on Member States to protect
judges and prosecutors from political attacks and pressures that attempt to undermine
their work (PETI 4) and insists that Member States must fully comply with Union and
international law regarding judicial independence (AM 230 Greens/EFA) ; calls on the

Commission to include concrete recommendations in its 2022 report in order to ensure
the independence of the judiciary in all Member States, (AM 228 S&D) and to also
cover the independence of lawyers and bar associations in the annual report, as they are
essential for independent justice systems; (AM 134 ECR, JURI 7);
12b. Recalls that Union law has primacy over national law regardless of the way in which
national justice systems are organised; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the
rulings of national courts regarding the primacy of EU law over national legislation and
in particular the incompatibility of certain articles of the Treaties with national
constitutions; urges the Commission to ensure concrete, immediate and adequate
responses to refusals to implement and respect CJEU rulings and report back on the
actions taken with regards to this to the Parliament(AM 376 EPP, JURI 2)
12c. Underlines the important role of the councils of the judiciary in safeguarding judicial
independence (AM 137 EPP); points out that several Member States have long-lasting
problems regarding the composition of their councils of the judiciary and appointment
of judges, which are sometimes vulnerable to undue political interference (AM 230
Greens/EFA); encourages Member States to systematically ask the opinion of the
Venice Commission in case an adaptation of the composition and functioning of these
bodies is sought and to follow-up on those recommendations; considers it necessary for
the Commission to evaluate such follow-up in the annual report; (AM 137 EPP) (JURI
6)
12d. Points out that the prosecution service is a key element to fight crime, corruption and
abuse of power; stresses the need for safeguards to be put in place to preserve the
independence of the prosecution service and individual prosecutors so that they are free
from undue political pressure, especially from the government, while meeting
necessary conditions of accountability to prevent abuse or negligence; (AM 135 EPP,
CONT 11, AFCO 6) shows its total solidarity and full support for all victims of crime;
(PETI 24)
12e. Points out that SLAPPs not only severely undermine the right of effective access to
justice of SLAPP victims, and thereby the rule of law, but also constitute a misuse of
Member States’ justice systems and legal frameworks, especially by hampering the
ability of Member States to successfully address existing challenges, such as the length
of proceedings and the quality of justice systems, as well as caseload administration
and case backlogs; (AM 258 Greens/EFA)
- Anti-corruption framework
12f. Reiterates that corruption is a serious threat to democracy, European funds and the rule
of law; is deeply concerned by the increasing level of corruption and deterioration
observed in certain Member States, the continued emergence of corruption cases
involving high level officials and politicians and the infiltration of organised crimes in
the economy and public sector (AM 227 NI, AM 236 S&D, CONT 13); welcomes the
information included in the 2021 rule of law report on this matter and calls for more
clarification in future reports on whether EU funds have been affected (CONT 12);
12g. Urges the Commission to update and enhance the Union’s anti-corruption policy and
instruments, including by providing for a uniform definition of the crime of corruption
and by creating common standards and benchmarks and ensuring their proper

implementation and enforcement (CONT 20, JURI 16); reminds of the importance for
the Member States to engage with the EPPO and support actively its tasks; calls upon
Member States who have not done so yet to join the EPPO; welcomes the sending by
the Commission of letters of formal notice to almost all Member States for lack of
transposition of the Whistleblower Protection Directive; (AM 227 NI, AM 236 S&D,
AM 271 NI, BUDG 10, JURI 15, JURI 16, PETI 12, CONT 19, PETI 12)
- Freedom of expression and information, media freedom and pluralism
12h. Recalls that media freedom and pluralism, including high-quality, sustainably and
transparently financed and independent, both traditional and digital, news media,
independent journalists, fact-checkers and researchers, and a strong public service
media are essential to democracy, a guarantee against abuse of power and the best
antidote to disinformation; (AM 99 EPP, AM 106 EPP, AM 232 S&D, AM 297 EPP,
CONT 14, CONT 15) expresses concern for the political independence of the media in
some Member States as editorial lines reflect the strong polarization of the political
scene (AM 269 NI);
12i. Is alarmed by the increasingly hostile environment in which journalists and media
actors are operating inside many Member States, particularly when their work focuses
on the misuse of power, corruption, fundamental rights violations and criminal
activities (AM 98 Greens/EFA); recalls that journalists and media outlets are
increasingly subjected to intimidation, threats (including on social media), criminal
charges, physical attacks, violent incidents and murder in some Member States (AM
103 EPP); condemns the oppressive strategies employed by some Member States’
governments such as the use of SLAPPs and smear campaigns, as well as increasing
state control over public media, civil society and academic institutions, leading to self-
censorship and the growing deterioration of media and academic freedom (AM 98
Greens/EFA, AM 232 S&D, AM 270 NI, AFCO 4); recalls that at the time of her
assassination, investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was facing 47 civil and
criminal defamation lawsuits, many of which her family continues to face  (AM 105
Greens/EFA); warns that these unacceptable developments may have a chilling effect
on the freedom of speech and freedom of the press and should not be allowed to set
precedent both within the Union and for Union candidate and potential candidate
countries (AM 89 S&D, AM 98 Greens/EFA);
12j. Regrets that the 2021 report does not reflect the gravity of these trends, especially
related to state control, strategic lawsuits and smear campaigns by certain Member
States; urges the Commission to improve the media-related chapters by providing an
assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the national frameworks for the
protection of media freedom, media pluralism and transparency of media ownership, to
introduce Union legislation against the use of SLAPPs establishing minimum standards
and to present an ambitious legal framework to counter the growing politicisation of the
media in certain Member States in the upcoming Media Freedom Act; stresses that the
report should include a thorough assessment of independence of Member States’
audiovisual media services regulators, which under Union law must be independent of
their respective governments; calls on the Commission to ensure additional and more
flexible funding for independent, investigative journalism in the Union; (AM 91 EPP,
AM 138 EPP, AM 150 EPP, AM 232 S&D, AM 269 NI, BUDG 14, JURI 14, PETI 13)
12k. Stresses the importance of editorially independent public service media to provide

high-quality, impartial and free coverage of public affairs, especially in election times;
calls on Member States to ensure stable, open, transparent, sustainable and adequate
funding for public service media on a multi-annual basis in order to guarantee their
quality and independence from governmental, political, economic and other pressures;
regrets that public service media are omitted from the annual report; calls on the
Commission to review public service media thoroughly in its future reports; (AM 91
EPP, AM 257 Greens/EFA, AM 300 EPP, BUDG 14)
12m. Stresses that media freedom is closely related to artistic and academic freedom; (AM
235 S&D) deplores the fact that, in some Member States, freedom of expression,
freedom of the arts and freedom of assembly are severely curtailed and restricted; (AM
259 Greens/EFA) underlines that the independence of education systems is under threat
when the autonomous organisational structure of its institutions is not guaranteed;  calls
on the Commission to include all aspects of freedom of expression in its rule of law
report; (AM 235 S&D)
- Democracy and checks and balances
12n. Defends the position that the principle of the separation of powers is essential to the
effective functioning of the state, including the effective, independent, impartial and
efficient functioning of justice systems across the Union and requires institutions to
refrain from exercising any pressure on judges and prosecutors, especially from
political and economic levels; (JURI 9)
12o. Underlines that fair and free elections are among the absolute minimum standards for a
functioning democracy and that every election process in the Union should be without
undue influence or any irregularities (CONT 17); stresses that in case of the
observation by the OSCE that elections have not taken place in a fair and free manner,
strong consequences must be attached to this concrete actions must be taken, including
under the Article 7(1) TEU procedure; urges the Commission and the Member States to
take all measures necessary once the risk of manipulation of elections in a Member
State is identified, whether by state actors, foreign actors or private actors; (AM 237
S&D)
12p. Recalls that the exercise of fundamental freedoms, including the right to be critical in
public, is a core element of a free and democratic society; expresses its concern about
the shrinking civic space in various Member States, manifested through the use of
SLAPPs against and surveillance of media and journalists, human rights defenders,
civil society actors and activists and political opponents; welcomes the Commission’s
commitment to propose a directive against abusive litigation targeting journalists and
rights defenders, emphasising that the scope must be comprehensive enough to
encompass all those who are rights defenders, including individual activists; (AM 256
Greens/EFA, AM 268 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, JURI 14, CONT 7)
12q. Stresses that the illegal use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware by Member States
against journalists, lawyers  opposition politicians and other persons poses a direct
threat to democracy, the rule of law and human rights (AM 136 EPP, AM 229
Greens/EFA); calls on the Commission to assess the abuse of surveillance tools and its
impact on democratic processes within the Union as well as potential breaches of
Article 2 TEU values and the Charter of Fundamental Rights; (AM 201 EPP)

12r. Believes that the situation of the (AM 130 Renew) civic space in the Member States
deserves a separate chapter in the report and the creation of a ‘European civic space
index’ (AM 130 Renew), given civil society’s central importance for maintaining a
fully democratic and inclusive society based on respect for human rights (AM 122 The
Left, JURI 14) and considering the challenges faced by the civil society in various
Member States, which include legislative and administrative measures, restricted access
to funding and smear campaigns  (AM 127 Greens/EFA);
12s. Recommends that the Commission develops the annual report’s fourth pillar on ‘other
institutional issues linked to checks and balances’ into a pillar on democracy and
checks and balances assessing elements such as potential threats to democratic
processes in the Union and the Member States, including manipulation of elections;
(AM 204 EPP)
Impact of COVID-19 measures on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights
12t. Recalls the strong impact of measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including
emergency regimes and decree-laws, on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights
within the Union, in particular in the areas of justice, media freedom and anti-
corruption (AM 149 ECR, AM 255 S&D, JURI 3, PETI 5, PETI 6, PETI 11, CONT 9);
12u. Regrets the nature and the excessive use of emergency measures during the COVID-19
pandemic coupled with the lack of ex-post control by some national parliaments of
such measures, and even the closure of parliaments in numerous Member States, which
has increased the power of governments and has led to a lack of accountability and
transparency of the executive; (JURI 3, PETI 6)
12v. Recalls that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on both access to justice
and the efficiency of national courts, including the partial closure of national courts
(BUDG 11, JURI 3); highlights that the extraordinary situation imposed by the
pandemic pointed out the urgency to modernise and introduce digital elements in the
justice proceedings, in order to increase the efficiency of the justice systems and to
facilitate access to legal aid and information (AM 219 Renew, JURI 4, PETI 7);
12w. Welcomes the fact that the report includes a section on the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the rule of law (AM 234 EPP, PETI 5); stresses that monitoring of the use
and proportionality of these measures should be continued until all measures are lifted
without any exceptions; notes in this regard the risk of misuse of funds out of the EU
Recovery and Resilience Facility (CONT 10); reiterates that these funds can only be
distributed once these concerns have been fully addressed (AM 255 S&D); urges the
Commission to assess in due course whether measures taken by Member States were
indeed time-limited, necessary and proportionate, while observing checks and balances;
(AM 234 EPP, CONT 21) invites the Commission to set out recommendations to help
the Member States mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic in the areas of justice,
anti-corruption and media freedom (BUDG 4, CONT 9);
COMP AM 6A - on paragraph 12l
Ams covered: AM 103 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil

Radev), AM 123 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), AM 188 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-
Lima, Emil Radev), AM 190 (Lukas Mandl), AM 299 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-
Lima, Emil Radev), AM 314 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Emil Radev),
PETI 15, PETI 16
12l. Observes that fake news” and the resulting misinformation aimed at EU citizens are a
threat to democracy and the rule of law in the Union, as the spread of disinformation
polarises and weakens our democracy
; (AM 103 EPP, AM 188 EPP, PETI 16)
welcomes the Commission's description in the annual report of political pressure and
influence on the media and calls on the Commission to describe more clearly the
systematic campaigns of disinformation and foreign interference aimed at reducing
public confidence in state institutions and in the independent media (AM 123 EPP, AM
190 EPP); acknowledges that global online platforms may have a vast disruptive impact
on the media sector; stresses, in this respect, that current legislation does not entirely
provide for a fair environment in the online ecosystem, such as in the fight against
disinformation and algorithmic accountability; considers that the adoption of relevant
legislation, notably the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, was a step in the
right direction, but that more needs to be done in the European Media Act to create fair
conditions in the light of digital transformation of the media sector and the spread of
online platforms; (AM 299 EPP, AM 314 EPP, PETI 15)
Subsection “Fundamental rights and equality” – paragraphs 13, 13a (new), 13c (new)
COMP AM 7 – paragraph 13
Ams covered: 186 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal
Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice
Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Clare Daly,
Sylwia Spurek), 231 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 239 partially (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia
Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona
Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-
Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 240 partially (Clare
Daly), 248 (Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller, Michal Šimečka, Dragoş
Tudorache, Malik Azmani), AFCO 14
Ams falling: 238, 241, 242, 244, 245, 246, 249, 250, 254
Fundamental rights and equality
13.
Stresses with concern (AM 248 Renew) the fact that women and people in vulnerable
situations, including persons with disabilities, children, religious minorities, particularly
at a time of rising antisemitism, antigypsyism (AM 239 Renew) and anti-Muslim hatred
in Europe, Romani people, people of African and Asian descent (AM 243 Greens/EFA)
and other persons belonging to ethnic and linguistic minorities, migrants, asylum
seekers, refugees, LGBTIQ (AM 247 S&D) persons and elderly people, especially
people living in marginalised settlements, continue to see their rights not being fully
respected across the Union and to be subjected to discriminatory practices (AM 248
Renew); emphasises the obvious link between deteriorating rule of law standards and
violations of fundamental rights and minority rights violations (AM 243 Greens/EFA);

such as the use of excessive force by law enforcement authorities during protests and at
the Union borders; (partially AM 240 The Left) recalls that in some circumstances,
Member States deliberately resort to measures which are questionable from the
perspective of the rule of law, such as legislation adopted in fast-track procedures
without public consultations or even, in exceptional cases, constitutional changes as a
way to legitimise discriminatory policies that could otherwise not be legislated upon,
such as provisions that specifically aim at LGBTIQ persons or imposing a near-total
ban on abortion; recalls that Member States have a responsibility towards individuals
put in vulnerable situations and should provide them with safety and protection from
discrimination; (AM 186 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The Left, AM 239 Renew)
strongly reiterates its call on the Commission to include within the scope of future
reports an in-depth assessment of the persistent violations of fundamental rights
throughout the Union, including equality and the rights of persons belonging to
minorities; (AM 239 Renew) in the meantime, calls on the Union institutions to read
the annual reports on the rule of law in the light of the reports on fundamental rights
published by the European Agency of Fundamental Rights (AM 231 EPP, AFCO 14)
COMP AM 7AA – paragraph 13a
Ams covered: 243 (Terry Reintke), 247 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke,
Maria Walsh, Michal Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner,
Thijs Reuten, Alice Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar
Köster, Clare Daly, Sylwia Spurek), PETI 17, PETI 18, PETI 24
Ams falling:
13a. Regrets that some Member States have not fully and correctly incorporated into
national law the Council Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia; and that the
provisions of the Racial Equality Directive24 are still not being fully implemented in all
Member States (PETI 18); recommends that more attention be paid to political and
media discourses fuelling hatred against minorities and the direct impact it has on
adopting discriminatory laws or practices eroding the rule of law for all, including in
the area of counter-terrorism and security policies in light of the George Floyd
resolution adopted by the European Parliament in 2020; (AM 243 Greens/EFA, AM
247 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The Left, PETI 17, PETI 24)
COMP AM 7A – paragraph 13b (new)
Ams covered: 239 partially (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka,
Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Olivier Chastel,
Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun
und Hohenstein), 252 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva,
Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus
Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut)
24 Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between
persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin.

Ams falling:
13b. Expresses particular concern about the deterioration of the situation of sexual and
reproductive health and rights of women in some Member States, including the
imposition of highly restrictive laws on abortion, and the continued and systematic
attacks on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ persons, reinforced by the deterioration
of the rule of law in several Member States; regrets that these developments are not
consistently reflected in the Commission’s rule of law report; calls on the Commission
to systematically address these issues in all relevant country reports and the synthesis
report; (AM 239 Renew, AM 252 S&D)
COMP AM 7BA – paragraph 13c
Ams covered: 253 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal
Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice
Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Clare Daly,
Sylwia Spurek)
Ams falling:
13c. Welcomes the infringement procedures initiated by the Commission in relation to
Hungary and Poland as part of the July 2021 infringement package concerning respect
for the human rights of LGBTIQ persons and breaches of Union law, which constitutes
the first time the Commission has specifically initiated infringements to safeguard their
rights; (AM 253 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The Left)
COMP AM 7B – paragraph 13d (new)
Ams covered: 251 (Terry Reintke, Tineke Strik)
Ams falling:
13d. Notes with concern the numerous reports of significant and systematic violations of
fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers across the Union and particularly at
external borders; deplores that several Member States adopted national legislation
which severely limits the rights of asylum seekers and in some cases even poses a
threat to upholding the principle of non-refoulement and the right to an effective
remedy; regrets that, despite calls from the Parliament, the Commission did not finalize
its assessment of the compatibility of numerous national legislative measures in the
field of asylum and migration with Union law; reiterates that respect of fundamental
rights such as the right to asylum and right to effective remedy are an integral part of a
fully functioning rule of law; (AM 251 Greens/EFA)
COMP AM 8 on Subsection “Sources” – paragraphs 14, 15, 15a (new), 16, 17, 18
Ams covered: 263 (Clare Daly), 264 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena

Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Giuliano
Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 265 (Emil Radev, Ioan-Rareş Bogdan, Vasile
Blaga), 268 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal
Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice
Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Sylwia
Spurek), 273 (Terry Reintke), 274 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena
Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Giuliano
Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 277 (Emil Radev, Ioan-Rareş Bogdan, Vasile
Blaga), 278 (Clare Daly), 279 (Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller, Michal
Šimečka, Malik Azmani, Dragoş Tudorache), 280 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš
Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu,
Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik
Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache), 285 (Terry Reintke), 286 (Clare
Daly), 290 (Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller, Michal Šimečka, Malik Azmani,
Dragoş Tudorache), 293 (Vladimír Bilčík, Andrzej Halicki, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Emil
Radev), 297 (Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil Radev), 298
(Vladimír Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil Radev), 300 (Vladimír
Bilčík, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrzej Halicki, Emil Radev), BUDG 13, PETI 1, PETI
20, AFCO 9, CONT 7, CONT 18, CONT 23
Ams falling: 260, 262, 266, 267, 272, 275, 276, 281, 282, 284, 287, 288, 289, 291, 292, 294,
295, 296, 301, 302, 303, 304, PETI 21
Ams voted separately: 283
Sources
14.
Calls on the Commission to further strengthen the regular, inclusive and structured
dialogue with governments and national parliaments, NGOs, national human rights
institutions, ombudspersons, equality bodies, professional associations and other
stakeholders and to be more transparent on the criteria used to select information from
those stakeholders in the process of drafting the annual reports (AM 296 The Left);
considers that civil society organisations should be closely involved in all phases of the
review cycle through a transparent process, based on clear criteria; (AM 264 S&D,
CONT 18) highlights that thematically structured consultations would increase the
efficiency of the process and the amount of valuable feedback; welcomes the fact that
the consultation questionnaire now allows (AM 261 Greens/EFA) stakeholders to
report aspects beyond the scope envisaged by the Commission, and calls on the
Commission to adapt the structure of national reports if needed; calls on the
Commission to review and improve online tools for stakeholder input and to be flexible
regarding available space limits; (AM 261 Greens/EFA) (BUDG 13, CONT 7)
15.
Considers that the time limits for consultation with civil society were too short or ill-
timed in the past (AM 273 Greens/EFA, AM 280 Renew) and should be suitably
adapted and flexible in order to allow for complete and comprehensive input; points out
that this has made it more difficult for stakeholders to prepare and plan their
contributions and awareness-raising activities, taking into account the limits on their
capacities and their financial resources, (AM 280 Renew) in particular if the
consultation coincides with annual (AM 277 EPP) holidays; invites the Commission to
introduce the opportunity of year-round consultation for civil society instead of
focusing mainly on time-limited calls for input; (AM 274 S&D) welcomes that the

Commission allows multilingual submissions and all the official Union languages; (AM
273 Greens/EFA, AM 277 EPP, AM 279 Renew) calls on the Commission to define
and publish in advance its timeline for the upcoming report setting dates for the several
steps in the process including a calendar of country visits as well as the publication date
of the report; notes that consultation can be further substantiated (AM 273
Greens/EFA) and encourages the Commission to follow-up with civil society actors on
the input they provide; (AM 278 The Left) (BUDG 13, PETI 20, AFCO 9, CONT 23)
15a. Encourages the Commission to ensure a proper follow-up, within the framework of the
annual report exercise, on petitions and other expressions of individual citizens’ concerns
and testimonies about rule of law deficiencies; (partially AM 263 + AM 282 The Left,
PETI  1) believes  that  with  a  view  to  strengthening  the  rule  of  law  culture  and  the
engagement of EU institutions with citizens, participatory forums and structures should
be set up to identify trends and to provide greater visibility of the threats to, deficiencies
and breaches of the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU across the Union; (´AM 282 The
Left)
16.
Recalls that the Commission should continue to (AM 285 Greens/EFA) take into
account relevant information from pertinent sources and recognised institutions in a
systematic manner; (AM 285 Greens/EFA) recalls that the findings of relevant
international bodies, such as those under the auspices of the UN, the OSCE and the
Council of Europe, should be taken into account; (AM 290 Renew) calls on the
Commission to take better account of the data and findings from relevant indexes such
as the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project, the World Justice Project Rule
of Law Index, or the Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) project; (AM 285 Greens/EFA,
AM 286 The Left)
17.
Welcomes the Council agreement to modify the mandate of the EU Agency for
Fundamental Rights (FRA) as a step forward; calls on the Commission to use this
momentum and to invite the FRA to provide methodological advice and conduct
comparative research to add detail in key areas of the annual report, bearing in mind
that the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression and other fundamental rights have
intrinsic links with the rule of law, in addition to the contributions the Agency already
makes, for instance, the EFRIS information system and its reports on civic space (AM
325 EPP);
18.
Considers that cooperation with the Council of Europe and other international
organisations is of particular relevance for advancing democracy, the rule of law and
fundamental rights in the EU; calls on the Commission to analyse systematically data
on non-compliance with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and views
of the UN Treaty Bodies concerning individual communications;
COMP AM 9 on Subsection “Democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights
mechanism” – paragraphs 19, 20, 21
Ams covered: 145 (Emil Radev, Ioan-Rareş Bogdan, Vasile Blaga), AFCO 8
Ams falling: 145, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323,

324, 325, 326
Democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights mechanism
19.
Regrets the reluctance of the Commission and the Council to respond positively to
Parliament’s call, in its resolution of 7 October 2020, for a joint EU mechanism on
democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, which should cover the full scope of
Article 2 TEU values; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to
immediately enter into negotiations with Parliament on an interinstitutional agreement
(AFCO 8);
20.
Recalls its position regarding the involvement of a panel of independent experts to
advise the three institutions, in close cooperation with the FRA (AFCO 8); asks its
Bureau, in light of the reluctance of the Commission and the Council, to organise a
public procurement procedure in order to create such a panel under the auspices of
Parliament, as committed in its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the Commission’s 2020
Rule of Law Report, in order to advise Parliament on compliance with Article 2 TEU
values in different Member States and to show by example how such a panel could
work in practice;
21.
Reiterates its call on the Commission to consider a more comprehensive and ambitious
revision of the FRA Regulation25; therefore calls on the Commission to, in the long-
term, explore the full potential of developing the FRA in accordance with principles
relating to the status and functioning of national institutions for the protection and
promotion of human rights (the Paris Principles) in order for it to become a fully
independent body providing impartial and publicly available positions on country-
specific situations in the field of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights;
underlines that such development should go hand in hand with an increase in available
resources;
COMP AM 10 on Subsection “Complementarity with other rule of law instruments” –
paragraphs 22, 23, 23a (new), 23b (new), 24, 24a (new), 24b (new), 25, 25a (new),
25b (new), 25c (new), 25d (new), 25e (new), 25f (new), 26

Ams covered: 112 (Emil Radev, Vasile Blaga, Ioan-Rareş Bogdan, Vladimír Bilčík), 119
(Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz
Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia
in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und
Hohenstein), 139 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie
Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia,
Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 141 (Lukas Mandl), 143 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš
Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde
Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-
Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 305 (Maite
Pagazaurtundúa, Fabienne Keller, Michal Šimečka, Malik Azmani, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża
25 Interim report of 25 March 2021 on  the proposal for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 168/2007
establishing a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (COM(2020)0225).

Thun und Hohenstein), 306 (Clare Daly), 307 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti,
Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Birgit
Sippel, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 327 (Lukas
Mandl), 331 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Michal Šimečka, Fabienne
Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier
Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Dragoş Tudorache, Róża
Thun und Hohenstein), 333 (Dragos Tudorache), 334 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco
Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo,
Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley), 336 (Lukas Mandl),  337 (Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé), 339
(Dragos Tudorache), 345 (Clare Daly), 348 (Anna Júlia Donáth, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová,
Michal Šimečka, Fabienne Keller, Moritz Körner, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, Maite
Pagazaurtundúa, Olivier Chastel, Sophia in 't Veld, Malik Azmani, Jan-Christoph Oetjen,
Dragoş Tudorache, Róża Thun und Hohenstein), 350 (Terry Reintke), 351 (Nathalie Colin-
Oesterlé), 356 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume,
Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo, Birgit Sippel, Cyrus Engerer, Giuliano
Pisapia, Katarina Barley), 357 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh,
Michal Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice
Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Sylwia Spurek), 360
(Terry Reintke), 361 (Marc Angel, Pierre Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal
Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans, Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice Kuhnke,
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina Barley, Dietmar Köster, Clare Daly, Sylwia Spurek),
362 (Łukasz Kohut, Bettina Vollath, Andrzej Halicki, Robert Biedroń, Róża Thun und
Hohenstein, Cyrus Engerer), 363 (Maria Grapini), 364 (Sophia in 't Veld, Fabienne Keller,
Olivier Chastel, Michal Šimečka, Malik Azmani, Moritz Körner), 365 (Marc Angel, Pierre
Karleskind, Terry Reintke, Maria Walsh, Michal Šimečka, Olivier Chastel, Hilde Vautmans,
Diana Riba i Giner, Thijs Reuten, Alice Kuhnke, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Katarina
Barley, Dietmar Köster, Clare Daly, Sylwia Spurek), 370 (Thijs Reuten, Paul Tang, Franco
Roberti, Elena Yoncheva, Sylvie Guillaume, Petar Vitanov, Bettina Vollath, Pietro Bartolo,
Birgit Sippel, Giuliano Pisapia, Katarina Barley, Łukasz Kohut), 373 (Emil Radev), 374
(Lukas Mandl), 377 (Terry Reintke), 378 (Lukas Mandl), BUDG 1, BUDG 2, BUDG 6,
BUDG 8, JURI 8, JURI 10, JURI 12, JURI 13, PETI 9, PETI 19, PETI 23, AFCO 11, AFCO
16, CONT 1, CONT 2, CONT 5
Ams falling: 328, 329, 330, 332, 335, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 346, 347, 349, 352, 353,
354, 355, 358, 359, 366, 367. 368, 369, 371, 372, 375, 379, BUDG 3, AFCO 12, AFCO
15, CONT 3, CONT 4
Complementarity with other rule of law instruments
22.
Reiterates that the annual report must be fit to (AM 337 EPP) serve as an important
source and reference document (AM 336 EPP) for deciding whether to activate one or
several relevant tools such as Article 7 TEU, the Rule of Law Conditionality
Regulation as well as instruments available under EU financial legislation and the
applicable sector-specific and financial rules to effectively protect the EU budget,
(CONT 1, PETI 19) the Rule of Law Framework or infringement procedures, including
expedited procedures, applications for interim measures before the CJEU and actions
regarding non-implementation of CJEU judgments (JURI 12, AFCO 11, BUDG 1,
CONT 5); calls on the Commission to explicitly link these instruments to identified or
possible rule of law issues in the report; calls on the (AM 331 Renew, AM 334 S&D)
institutions to activate such tools and instruments, including the Rule of Law

Conditionality mechanism, without delay in order to provide pro-active support for the
rule of law and tackle democratic backsliding in the Union since the Commission’s
2021 Rule of Law Report contains multiple and detailed examples of breaches of the
rule of law that fall within the scope of the Conditionality Regulation; (AM 333 Renew,
AM 331 Renew, PETI 19, CONT 3) reiterates its call on the Commission to create a
direct link between the Annual Rule of Law reports, together with other sources, on the
rule of law and the Rule of Law Conditionality mechanism; (AM 331 Renew)
23.
Recalls that infringement procedures are the core instrument to protect and defend EU
law and the common values enshrined in Article 2 TEU; notes with concern that the
number of infringement procedures launched by the Commission has plummeted since
2004; is surprised by the fact that infringement procedures are not triggered
systematically at least (AM 350 Greens/EFA, CONT 4) as soon as the relevant
infringement is documented in the annual report; deplores the Commission’s reluctance
to actively and systematically monitor the implementation of EU law and to (AM 348
Renew) exhaust the possibilities of infringement procedures against Member States as
the instrument most tailored to resolve the issues efficiently and without delay; notes
that this reluctance resulted in calls on Member States to initiate inter-State cases in
accordance with Article 259 TFEU; is concerned that without systematic and timely
application the preventive capacity of infringement procedures declines; calls for the
report to include an overview of all enforcement actions taken by the Commission for
each Member State, including pending infringement proceedings, as well as the state of
compliance with the provisional measures and rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU
and the European Court of Human Rights, feeding into a comprehensive application of
the EU Justice Scoreboard (AFCO 12);
23a. Recalls the importance of preliminary rulings on the rule of law; takes the view that the
relevant case-law of the CJEU helped define the rule of law further and could serve the
Commission to further refine its benchmarks to assess the situation of the rule of law in
the Member States; (AM 351 EPP)
23b. Is concerned by the persistent failure by some Members States, including Hungary and
Poland, to implement domestic, CJEU and ECtHR judgements, which contributes to the
erosion of the rule of law (AM 305 Renew, AM 365 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The
Left, PETI 23); stresses that the non-implementation of judgments can lead to human
rights violations being left without remedy; highlights that this may create a perception
in the public that judgments can be disregarded, undermining the independence of the
judiciary and the general trust in the force of fair adjudication (AM 306 The Left, PETI
8, PETI 9) calls on the Commission to continue reporting on the respective country
chapters about the implementation of judgments by Member States in cases of partial or
lack of implementation; encourages the Commission to engage with authorities in order
to find suitable solutions for complete implementation and to update the information on
an annual basis; recalls that the failure to implement the CJEU’s Coman & Hamilton
judgment26 resulted in the plaintiffs having to resort to the ECtHR for redress; (AM 365
S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The Left)
26 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 5 June 2018 (C-673/16), Relu Adrian Coman and Others v
Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări and Ministerul Afacerilor Interne.

24.
Recalls the importance of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation where breaches of
the principles of the rule of law affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial
management of the Union budget or the protection of the financial interests of the
Union; welcomes the judgements of the CJEU of 16 February 2022 and its findings that
the Union indeed has competences regarding the rule of law in the Member States, that
the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation is in line with Union law, and that the
actions brought by Hungary and Poland against the Rule of Law Conditionality
Regulation are dismissed; (AM 119 Renew, JURI 10) reiterates its call on the
Commission to take immediate action under the Regulation, a tool that has been in
force since January 2021; (AM 339 Renew, BUDG 2, CONT 2)
24a. Considers that the annual report is the most appropriate place to have a dedicated
section and conduct a relevant analysis under the Rule of Law Conditionality
Regulation; urges the Commission to launch the procedure enshrined in Article 6(1) of
that regulation at least in the cases of Poland and Hungary (CONT 2); recalls that the
applicability, purpose and scope of the Regulation are clearly defined and do not need
to be supported by further explanations; condemns the Commission’s decission to still
draft guidelines even after the CJEU ruling confirming the legality and validity of the
Regulation; (AM 356 S&D, BUDG 6, JURI 10) calls on the Commission to ensure,
possibly by means of a legislative proposal, that application of Article 6 of the Rule of
Law Conditionality Regulation does not directly or indirectly affect European citizens,
given that those responsible for breaches of the rule of law are government
representatives or heads of state, and that those funds remaining in the consolidated
Union budget can be accessed directly by local public institutions or private entities;
(AM 362 EPP, S&D, Renew, AM 363 S&D) calls on the Commission to apply the
Common Provisions Regulation and the Financial Regulation more stringently in order
to tackle the discriminatory use of EU funds, in particular any use of a politically
motivated nature (BUDG 2) and to explore the full potential of those instruments and
the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation to protect democracy, the rule law and
fundamental rights (AM 357 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA) thereby ensuring that Union
funds are not used for initiatives that are not in compliance with Union values
enshrined in Article 2 TEU (AM 357 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, BUDG 8) and while
respecting the interests of final beneficiaries which are not government entities; (AM
360 Greens/EFA)
24b. Is concerned about the Commission’s 2021 rule of law report’s findings that, in some
countries, the state-sponsored harassment and intimidation of the LGBTIQ
organisations affects their ability to access funding; calls on the Commission to assess
the issue more closely and to ensure through the necessary means that the non-
discrimination principle governing access to Union funds is fully complied with
everywhere in the Union; considers that these findings reinforce the long-standing
position of the Parliament that the scope of the rule of law report should be broadened
to include all Article 2 TEU values; (AM 361 S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, The Left)
25.
Strongly regrets the inability of the Council to make meaningful progress in ongoing
Article 7(1) TEU procedures; urges the Council to ensure that hearings take place at
minimum once per Presidency during ongoing Article 7 TEU procedures and also
address new developments affecting rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights
(JURI 13); emphasises that there is no need for unanimity in the Council in order to
identify a clear risk of a serious breach of Union values under Article 7(1), neither to

address concrete recommendations to the Member States in question, and to provide
deadlines for the implementation of those recommendations; reiterates its call on the
Council to do so, underlining that any further delaying of such action would amount to
a breach of the rule of law principle by the Council itself; (AM 370 S&D, JURI 13)
insists that Parliament’s role and competences be duly (AM 373 EPP) respected;
(AFCO 16)
25a. Takes note of the country-specific discussions that have taken place in the General
Affairs Council on the basis of the Commission’s annual rule of law reports in the
framework of the Council’s annual Rule of Law Dialogue; suggests to focus these
discussions on the Member States with the most pressing rule of law issues to be
discussed in the first place, while keeping the practice of alphabetical order; emphasises
that increased transparency would enhance the rule of law dialogue within the Union
and therefore invites the Council to make these country-specific discussions public,
including detailed public conclusions (AM 139 S&D);
25b. Strongly condemns Member States authorities refusing to engage in the Commission’s
annual Rule of Law Dialogue; considers this refusal to be enough for the Commission
to accelerate and refine further the examination of the rule of law situation in the
countries concerned (AM 307 S&D); is strongly of the opinion that the rule of law
cycle can be effective only if the principle of sincere cooperation set out in Article 4 (3)
TEU is equally respected and applied by the European institutions and the Member
States; (AM 187 Renew)
25c. Urges the Commission to actively participate in public debates at local, regional and
national level and to invest more into awareness-raising about the Union values
enshrined in Article 2 TEU and applicable tools, including the annual report, especially
in those countries where there are serious concerns (AM 141 EPP); underlines the
importance of strategic communication to counter anti-democracy narratives and
explain Union action to address them; (AM 298 EPP) therefore, calls on the
Commission to organise communication campaigns about the importance of respecting
the rule of law (AM 143 Renew); calls on the Commission to launch a dedicated
programme that supports innovative initiatives with the aim of promoting formal, in
particular among legal professionals, and informal education with regard to the rule of
law and democratic institutions among EU citizens of all ages; (AM 378 EPP)
25d. Commits itself to engage into regular consultations with the Member States’
governments and parliaments on findings of the annual report; calls on the Member
States to ensure that their representatives at the highest possible level take part in
exchanges with the Parliament on the rule of law; (AM 377 Greens/EFA) strongly
regrets the Polish Sejm’s refusal to meet the European Parliament’s cross-committee
mission in February 2022 and the lack of response to the official invitation going
directly against article 9 of Protocol (No 1) to the EU treaties on the role of national
parliaments in the European Union;
25e. Stresses that internal rule of law deficiencies may have a detrimental effect on the
credibility of the Union’s foreign policy, in particular towards its immediate
neighbourhood and candidates and potential candidates for Union membership (AM
191 S&D, JURI 1)
25f. Highlights that checks and balances at Union level should also be independently

assessed; commits, to that end, to request a Venice Commission study on key principles
of democracy in Union governance, in particular the separation of powers,
accountability and checks and balances; (AM 364 Renew, AFCO 15)
26.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission the
FRA, the Council of Europe and the governments and parliaments of the Member
States.