The European Commission is reportedly planning to harden its stance against member states who fail to adhere to democracy and the rule of the law.
The European Commission is reportedly planning to harden its stance towards member states who fail to adhere to democracy and the rule of the law.
This move, to be discussed by Commissioners at the end of August, would look at ways of ‘enforcing the observance of fundamental values set out in the EU treaty’, to be followed up by a conference in November ‘bringing together other EU bodies as well as policy makers, judges, lawyers and experts’, according the Financial Times.
The Commission is mulling measures, proposed by the European Parliament last week, which include a ‘Copenhagen Commission’ of independent experts to conduct constant monitoring of all EU states to guard against democratic backsliding.
The so-called Copenhagen criteria are standards on democracy and fundamental rights that all aspiring EU members must meet. Sanctions may include withholding EU funds.
That report was on Hungary, whose democratic breaches have made headlines in recent months. But the Commission has indicated it doesn’t want to be seen to be picking on any particular country.
Perhaps Italy should be next? Here, the heart of original EU, some of the key problems flagged in the rogue new members to the east are painfully evident. For some 20 years now, Italy’s democracy, press freedom, and the independence of the judiciary have been under constant attack, while corruption and organised crime have been flourishing.
The chief culprit in all of this is multi-billionaire Silvio Berlusconi. Although no longer prime minister, he’s still very much at large as leader of one of the largest parties, which is now in a ‘grand coalition’ with the centre-left Democratic Party.
Berlusconi, who has been PM three times since he ‘entered the field’ with his Forza Italia party 20 years ago, has been using office to tackle a seemingly endless stream of legal problems, and to protect his estimated £5.6 billion of private wealth that derives from his huge business interests.
He has also ensured – through control of private TV and political influence over state broadcaster RAI – that his version of events are the truth for millions of Italian households.
Berlusconi is really not the kind of character any country considered democratic would allow anywhere near public office. Over the past year he has received three criminal convictions, for tax fraud, sex with an underage prostitute and wiretapping.
And so Italy maintains its well earned popular reputation as Europe’s banana republic, a country where, according to Italian investigative journalist Marco Travaglio, one its richest citizens has secured no less than 37 ‘ad personam’ laws, where a top politician has relentlessly criticised judges for simply doing their job, and who has undermined, through his actions and words, respect for one of the state’s key functions – tax collection.
Yet confronted with the scandal of this out-of-control oligarch, spearheading ‘a fundamental rights and rule of law crisis’ in the heart of the EU, Brussels has chosen to remain silent, time and again.
Events last week demonstrated yet again just why it should speak up. In an incredible scene, the Italian parliament halted proceedings in protest at a decision by the supreme court aimed at preventing the media magnate from evading – as he has done on a number of occasions in the past – a four-year jail sentence on a technicality.
The real danger is that fundamental principle will be trumped by the desire for political ‘stability’ – today to satisfy the demands of the markets and the Troika for a grand coalition that can implement unpopular ‘reforms’ and austerity measures, just as 20 years ago Berlusconi’s self-interested entry into politics was accepted as the country sought to consolidate the public finances ahead of Italy’s entry into the Single Currency.
It is to be welcomed that EU institutions plan to get tough on member states that flout democratic norms and where illegality reigns. But if is to avoid accusations of double standards it needs to be applied to all, regardless of size and clout.
And when in the name of tackling the sovereign debt crisis the Commission and ECB are placing the burden of adjustment on the little man, doing something about one of Europe’s wealthiest and most arrogant men might even win back some of the EU’s lost credibility, both in Italy and elsewhere.
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18 Responses to “It is not just Hungary that the EU needs to tackle on democracy breaches”
Stevan Harnad
APPLYING COPENHAGEN CRITERIA TO ALL EU MEMBERS
Yes, the EU’s Copenhagen criteria should be applied uniformly to all EU members (including, of course, Italy).
The (only) good thing about the case of Hungary is that the abuses by its prime minister, Orban, and his party, Fidesz, have been progressively unfolding under the eyes of the EU and that (thanks to Rui Tavares and his committee) the EU has carefully flagged and documented them, warned Hungary, and is now about to monitor Hungary, with plans underway also to generalize these monitoring practices as well as penalties to all EU countries.
Not only is the generalization good because it will now allow the EU to go after other abusers like Italy, but it is also exactly the right response to Orban’s attempt to defy the EU on the grounds that it is using double standards.
Once applicable (and applied) to all, the EU’s standards for democracy will be uniform ones. A welcome and important step in the evolution of the EU, and of democracy.
Joseph Williams
I for one am very pleased that EU membership protects us from association with countries that don’t elect their second chamber, or who’s prime minister is chosen from a group of less than 700 from amongst themselves, or who’s head of state is hereditary, or which has suspended habeas corpus and allowed arbitrary detention for 42 days, or has used religious tension as an excuse to limit freedom of speech…oh. Oh no hang on….
Sean Hanley
A well made point – and, more generally, many West European states do not always compare that well with some newer democracies in CEE. Not just a story about Hungary and Italy, which are both to some extent outliers.
Maryland Man
You are so full of it. Did you know why Orban got elected in the first place? Have you heard the secretly recorded conversation of Gyurcsan the former prime minister? The reason Orban won the last election with over 60% because the voters got sick of the socialist lies and corruption. The only two guilty parties are here is the IMF for landing money and the deeply corrupt former hungarian government who toke the money and gave it to large corporations banks, ie swiss fank based loans, with EU protend not to notice……..The IMF and the EU had asked Orban two years ago to put extra taxes on the people and instead what he did, he had put the largest taxe rate ever on the banks!!!!!! That is his only crime!!! He is not in bed with the banks that is it!!!
Stevan Harnad
Thanks to “MM,” for this very familiar display of the governing party’s standard one-liners, every one of them misleading, and refuted countless times. Now LFF readers can judge for themselves. (The polite personal tone of the “MM” posting is also not atypical…)