Konstantinos Arvanitis

47. Believes that transparency is essential to foster the trust of Member States and citizens in the Conditionality Regulation; asks the Commission to set up an interactive...

4. Stresses that these financing instruments must not be regarded as substitutes for the Treaty-based mechanisms for safeguarding the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU;

46. Calls on the Council to keep the process fact-based and objective, and to provide sufficient justification for deviating from the Commission’s proposals when the Council does...

32. Considers that it may be too early to make definitive statements on the effectiveness of this tool for protecting the EU’s financial interests against risks deriving from...

18. Stresses that EU funds that have been suspended under the Conditionality Regulation must only be released when the situation that had led to the adoption of measures has been remedied in its...

41. Stresses that the annual rule of law report is currently structured around four pillars, namely: the justice system, the anti- corruption framework, media pluralism, and other institutional...

6. Stresses that the conditionality regime is budgetary in nature, as it aims to safeguard the sound financial management of EU funds and the EU’s financial interests, and it only applies where a...

28 a. Believes, more generally, that EU- level interinstitutional dialogue and cooperation on the rule of law should be strengthened; regrets the fact that the Commission and the Council have...

3. Welcomes the confirmation by the Advocate General of the CJEU that respect for the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU is an ongoing obligation after EU accession and a pre-...

25. Reiterates Parliament's scrutiny role concerning the implementation of the Conditionality Regulation and recalls that the Commission shall immediately inform the Parliament of...

16. Understands that some aspects of the Conditionality Regulation make it difficult to trigger the mechanism, in particular the requirement to demonstrate a sufficiently direct link between...

51. Calls on the Member States to ensure respect for the rule of law and to swiftly address any identified breaches, so as to protect the Union budget and prevent the adoption of...

19. Recalls that, as early as June 2023, Parliamentwarned against the risks of reversals of remedial measures once financial sanctions are lifted, a contingency not expressly covered by either the...

28. Regrets that the information made public by the Commission concerning its findings in specific cases under the Conditionality Regulation omits the concrete rule of law breaches detected, the...

2. Highlights that the adoption of the Conditionality Regulation in 2020 represents a milestone for the protection of the EU budget against risks resulting from rule of law breaches,...

16 a. Recalls that the Regulation provides a clear definition of the rule of law, which must be understood having regard to the other Union values and principles enshrined in Article 2 TEU,...

7. Underlines that infringement actions under Article 258 and 260 TFEU and Article 6 of the Financial Regulation remain complementary tools for systemic breaches of Article 2 TEU values;

8. Commends the CJEU judgments of 16 February 2022 in Cases C-156/21 and C-157/21, which dismissed in their entirety the actions by Hungary and Poland for the annulment of the Conditionality...

10 a. Notes that, while the Member States have different national identities and traditions, the rule of law is a value common to the EU and the Member States, and forms part of the very...

F. whereas the Commission has issued guidelines to clarify the application of the Conditionality Regulation; whereas Parliament considered that the text of the Regulation was clear, that...

9. Takes note of the additional clarifications on the process provided by the Commission in the 2022 Guidelines on the Conditionality Regulation, and the review of its practical application in the...

21. Deems it to be unclear how the Conditionality Regulation interacts with other instruments from the rule of law toolbox in practice, in particular the horizontal enabling condition on the...

C. whereas any clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law by a given Member State can affect the trust and solidarity between the Member States, the functioning of the single market and the...

15. Emphasises that Commission assessments must be impartial and fair, take account of all available facts, and respect the principles of objectivity, non- discrimination and equality of the Member...

20. Recalls that the Conditionality Regulation expressly states that it complements existing budget-protection tools and is to be applied ‘where other procedures set out in Union legislation would...

49. Reiterates its proposal to establish an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, building on Parliament’s 2020 proposal; underlines that...

D. whereas the Conditionality Regulation empowers the Council to adopt, based on a Commmission proposal and while informing Parliament, proportionate financial measures to...

14. Stresses that the Conditionality Regulation must be applied consistently across all Member States; urges the Commission and, where relevant, the Council, to act expeditiously and in full...

12. Notes that, to date, only a very limited number of stakeholders have used the Commission’s standard complaint form annexed to the 2022 Guidelines; recommends that the Commission...

35. Invites the Commission, in this context, to elaborate on its assessment of the respective added value and limitations of the various budgetary...