Agreement on the rule of law a good base for action

Ska Keller MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, commented on the agreement reached at today's (Thursday 10 December) summit of EU leaders on a binding rule of law mechanism:
 
"This agreement is a success in the defence of the rule of law and the start of Europe's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. We welcome the fact that for the first time in its history the EU is linking the payment of subsidies to rule of law criteria and is launching a green budget and reconstruction plan. We have tirelessly called for more tools to defend the rule of law in Europe. While this rule of law mechanism will not solve all the problems we face, it must serve as a basis for further action. EU funds must not be open to abuse by oligarchs and corrupt politicians. The last-minute agreement is a compromise that keeps the legal text on the rule of law mechanism unchanged and it must remain this way. 
 
"We regret that the EU has to wait for the European Court of Justice's ruling on the imposition of sanctions and that the rule of law mechanism will not apply as early as next year. Breaches of the rule of law are going on as we speak.
 
“Unfortunately, the German Presidency of the Council was not the lead the charge on rule of law, despite Angela Merkel declaring it a priority back in July. From the very beginning, the European Parliament stood united behind the principle of the rule of law, and we will continue to defend European values."