German proposal: European funds conditional on respect for the rule of law

Soon to take over the presidency of the EU Council, Germany is putting forward an idea linking access to EU funds and respect for the rule of law.

The German proposal foresees that violations of the principle of the rule of law, which harm the sound management of the EU budget or the financial interests of the Union in a sufficiently direct manner, can be sanctioned by suspension or reduction of funds.

The sanction would be proposed by the European Commission and would have to be approved by a qualified majority of the Member States (15 countries representing 65% of the population), after giving the country concerned the opportunity to give its opinion.