Activities of Axel VOSS related to 2023/2113(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the Commission’s 2023 Rule of Law report
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Acknowledges the importance attached to justice systems by the rule of law reporting, particularly as regards the legality, independence and impartiality of judges and judicial appointments, promotions, dismissals and decisions; acknowledges that no common EU system of nomination of judges exists; recalls, however, that all Member States have to adhere to Council of Europe4 and CJEU5 minimum standards; stresses, in this context, the importance of independent councils of the judiciary, which must be composed by a substantial majority of judges elected by their peers and empowered with substantial authority over the selection, advancement and disciplinary procedures concerning judges; deeply regrets that not all Member States have fulfilled their obligations fully in this regard; deplores the devastating effect this has on the independence and integrity of their justice systems; _________________ 4 Briefing – ‘Council of Europe standards on judicial independence’, European Parliament, Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, 25 May 2021. 5 For example, Judgment of the Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) of 27 February 2018 in Case C-64/16, Associação Sindical dos Juízes Portugueses v Tribunal de Contas, ECLI:EU:C:2018:117, or Judgment of the Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) of 19 November 2019, A.K. v Krajowa Rada Sądownictwa, Joined Cases C-585/18, C-624/18 and C-625/18, ECLI:EU:C:2019:982. See also Briefing – ‘European Court of Justice case law on judicial independence’, European Parliament. Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, 19 July 2021.
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges the Commission to persist in its diligent monitoring of Member States’ legal frameworks in order to assess their alignment with the above-mentioned recommendations, and further calls on the Commission to become more insistent on the implementation of these critical reforms in cases where Member States’ systems do not meet the prescribed standards; calls on the Commission to take further steps to address in full the recommendations made by Parliament in its previous resolutions;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the continuous support which is provided to relevant stakeholders via dedicated programmes, such as Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme; welcomes the funding via Justice programme to support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters and to contribute to the further development of the European area of justice, which is strengthening democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Urges the Commission to invest more into awareness-raising about the Union values and applicable tools, including the annual report, especially in those countries where there are serious concerns;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. States that corruption is a menace that can destroy democracies and has to be combated in all its forms; is worried that the latest Report shows either no or only very slow progress in relation to anti- corruption prevention measures in several Member States; is extremely worried about the reluctance to establish registers of lobbyists, and transparency registers and proper systems of asset declarations by public office holders and senior officials, as well as about the lack of political will to introduce strict rules within revolving doors policies; highlights, in this context, the importance of a transparent legislative procedure with far-reaching access to documents, and rules to ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability in public administrations and public decision-making with a view to preventing corruption11 ; _________________ 11 See, in this context, Article 3 of the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 May 2023 on combating corruption, replacing Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA and the Convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of the Member States of the European Union and amending Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council (COM(2023)0234).
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls, in this context, also for all EU institutions to adhere to the highest possible standards with a view to the prevention of corruption, such as, inter alia, the creation of an effective EU Ethics Body, the full application of Regulation 1049/200112 on access to documents, and the full application of the conditionality principle as regards the EU Transparency Register; calls on the Member States to try to reach an agreement as soon as possible on the proposed directive on combating corruption; _________________ 12 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43).
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Recalls its resolution of 11 November 2021 on strengthening democracy and media freedom and pluralism in the Union where the European Parliament called on Commission to propose a package of both soft and hard law to address the increasing number of strategic lawsuits against public participation or SLAPPs; welcomes the Commission legislative proposal and recommendation to Member States of 27 April 2022 addressing the EP's call in this respect; stresses that SLAPPs are a particular form of harassment used primarily against journalists to prevent or penalise speaking up on matters of public interest by subjecting them to lengthy, burdensome and expensive lawsuits; calls on the Member States to keep up with the ambitions in the proposed measures and step up efforts to improve the safety and protection of journalists.
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Recalls Parliament's strong support for the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO); acknowledges the important role of EPPO as an independent European Union body in investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes affecting the financial interests of the Union; highlights that since starting its operations on 1 June 2021, EPPO has registered more than 4000 crime reports from participating EU Member States and private parties and over 929 investigations have been opened (as of June 2022);