Safeguarding the rule of law in the European Union

A project by the Meijers Committee

The EU claims to be founded on the respect for the rule of law. In a democracy, citizens must be able to rely upon a judiciary that is independent, on a legislature that respects fundamental rights, and on an executive that abides by its own rules. Respect for these basic principles forms the basis of democracy and should be its central value.

Currently the rule of law in Europe is under threat. Member States such as Hungary, Poland and Malta are actively working to undermine the independence of the judiciary. They fail to comply with EU fundamental rights obligations and ignore judgments of the EU Court of Justice. This risks to put the entire idea of European cooperation into question.

At the same time, it cannot be taken for granted that the EU itself is always respecting the rule of law. EU Agencies such as Frontex are gaining more and more resources and competences, without adequate legal remedies being in place. Comprehensive legal reforms are needed to address the lack of transparency and accountability in these EU Agencies.

The Meijers Committee’s new project “Safeguarding the Rule of Law in the EU” addresses these threats to the rule of law. As an independent committee of Dutch legal experts, we provide comments and recommendations on EU legal initiatives and policies. We advocate for the respect for the rule of law on the national and the EU level. We work together with other advocacy groups in the EU to put pressure on politicians and administrators. We publish legal comments, organize seminars and conferences and continuously monitor rule of law-related developments.

On this website, you will find:

  • more information about our project,

  • about the team behind our project Safeguarding the Rule of Law in the European Union,

  • an overview of our published comments concerning the rule of law in the EU and EU agencies,

  • a rule of law dashboard which will provide an overview of all rule of law-related cases at the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights,

  • a blog section that will keep you updated about all news concerning the rule of law and EU agencies,

  • and a section about all our upcoming and past events!