Brussels urges the Netherlands

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Vera Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission, sees that Europe is making significant progress in combating corruption. © AP
Brussels urges the Netherlands to hurry to close the benefits affair, criticizes lobbying minister
The situation with fundamental rights in large parts of Europe, especially in Poland and Hungary, is bleak. The Netherlands excels as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. However, it must now urgently complete the benefits affair - and thus reimburse victims - and beware of revolving door politics: administrators who start working too quickly for an interest group.
Frans Boogaard 13-07-22, 15:28

This is stated in the annual rule of law report issued by the European Commission this afternoon. The switch from former minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (VVD, Infrastructure and Water Management) to the trade association of energy companies is not specifically mentioned, but it is clear that this type of revolving door policy is not possible for Brussels.
Administrators must observe a two-year cooling period, according to the report. And there must be a clear code of conduct with rules for accepting donations, ancillary activities and lobbying activities, including penalties for violations. This is the third time that the European Commission has issued a rule of law report, and it is the first time that it formulates concrete recommendations for each Member State.

Brussels is critical of Poland and Hungary
Unsurprisingly, Brussels is highly critical of the case law in Poland and Hungary, which, despite years of pressure, is still far from independent. In both countries, there is also discrimination against minority groups. Poland still has to take concrete steps before it can claim 'its' billions from the coronavirus recovery fund, money that has already been unblocked in accordance with a controversial Commission decision. The Hungarian coronavirus recovery plan is still awaiting approval.
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According to initiator and D66 MEP Sophie in't Veld, the profit of the annual report is that the Commission also commits itself to action: first writing a critical report about Poland, for example, and then paying out money is not possible without jeopardizing your own credibility, says In't Veld. At the same time, she and a large part of Parliament conclude that the Commission and Council (the Member States) will not take sufficient action if a few Member States systematically flout fundamental rights and European values year after year, thereby undermining support for better compliance.

There are serious concerns
The Commission and member states allowed this in Hungary, which, according to the report, has now become “a hybrid system of electoral autocracy”. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong, according to the European Parliament. This shows - not coincidentally - today that there are serious concerns about the functioning of the Constitution and the fairness of elections, the independence of the judiciary, corruption and conflicts of interest.

The parliament is also concerned about privacy and data protection, freedom of expression, academic and religious freedom, and the right to equal treatment (especially for LGBTI, Roma, Jews, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees). “I am in dialogue with the Hungarian government”, says Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. “We will continue to use all the tools we have, administrative and budgetary, to act against infringements.”

Making progress too
Vice President of the Commission Vera Jourová, responsible for values and transparency: “We are also making significant progress in many areas, including combating corruption.” One of the new institutions that she believes will help with this is the European Public Prosecutor.
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According to Tineke Strik (GroenLinks), the Commission report proves that the fundamental rights situation is deteriorating, now that there are also major concerns in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Malta and Slovenia about press freedom and the fight against corruption in particular. “For years, the Commission has failed to attach concrete consequences to violations of the rule of law. We now see where this leads: safeguarding fundamental rights for a democratic and free society is declining in more and more EU countries.”

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