When Rule of Law is at risk

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INTRODUCTION

The EU is a community of values: “Respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights” are at the heart of European integration (Article 2 TEU). However, once a country becomes an EU member state, compliance with the EU values is not monitored or evaluated, thus the so called "Copenhagen dilema". The European Semester features country specific recommendations regarding the economy. Why not country specific recommendations regarding the rule of law, justice, and fundamental rights? How do we expand on Commissioner Reding´s Justice Scoreboard? Should we have an Article 2 alarm agenda? Are sanctions the right way to go? Can you put a price to values? How can you cooperate if there is no mutual trust? Apart from the mechanism provided for in article 7 TEU, what parallel or alternative multileveled structure can we envision for monitoring and reporting on fundamental rights implementation in the EU?    

INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION

hosted by Green/EFA MEPs Judith Sargentini, Ulrike Lunacek, Tatjana Zdanoka Contributions by institutions, academics, civil society/ social partners List of contributors:

• Emmanuel Crabit, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG Justice General justice policies and judicial systems
• Deaglán Ó Briain, Chair of FREMP, Working Party of the Council of the EU on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons
• Martin Gramatikov, member of Scientifi Committee, Fundamental Rights Agency, Senior Justice Sector Advisor - Head of Measuring and Evaluation at the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL) Innovating Justice
• Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the University Center for Human Values as well as Director of the Program in Law and Public Affairs, Princeton University.
• Jan Werner Müller, Professor of Politics, Princeton University
• Dr. Tamara Ehs, currently working as a researcher in Salzburg, evaluating the new "Salzburg Model" of direct democracy, and is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Vienna.
• Representatives of NGOs
  • Natacha Kazatchkine, Senior Executive Officer Legal Affairs/Human Rights in the EU, Amnesty International
  • Israel Butler, Senior Policy Officer, Fundamental Rights, Justice, and Home Affairs, Open Society European Policy Institute
  • Annica Ryngbeck, Policy Officer, Fundamental Rights and Equality, Social Platform

Format:

15:00-16:30   State of play/ diagnosis of problem

Chairperson: Ulrike Lunacek
Initial contributions of 7 minutes from European Commission, Council, Martin Gramatikov, Kim Lane Scheppele
1st round of questions and answers ****Coffee break****

16:50-18:30  Propositions, solutions, reaching expert consensus on conclusions

Chairperson: Jan Philipp Albrecht
Contributions of 7 minutes from Jan Werner Muller, Tamara Ehs, OSI, Amnesty International, Social Platform
2nd round of questions and answers Conclusions: Rui Tavares