Dublin, 2 Decemeber 2021: European Movement Ireland CEO, Noelle O Connell has welcomed today’s Advocate General Opinion on the conditionality mechanism to protect the EU funds from rule of law breaches.
Ms O Connell said, “The Advocate General’s opinion proposing the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) should dismiss challenges brought by Poland and Hungary is an important marker in defending the rule of law in the EU.
“Last year the EU agreed to conditions that would protect the EU budget in the case of breaches of rule of law principles by Member States. This has been subject to challenge in the CJEU by Poland and Hungary. The Advocate General was clear in his opinion – the actions for annulment should be dismissed.
“The so-called conditionality mechanism, or linking EU funding to the rule of law, is an ambitious and necessary step with the potential to become a significant future deterrent.
“While we await the final judgement, the EU must continue to speak out and defend these values which were hard-won. They must not be undermined by the actions of some EU governments.”
Read press release from the Court of Justice of the European Union here.
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Press Queries: Lisa Nic an Bhreithimh, Head of Communications and Education, European Movement Ireland | 087 9503539 | E: lisa@europeanmovement.ie
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Notes:
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About European Movement Ireland: Founded in 1954, European Movement (EM) Ireland is the longest established Irish NGO working on European affairs. An independent, not-for-profit, membership organisation, EM Ireland works to develop the connection between Ireland and the European Union. We facilitate links between all sectors of Irish society and the EU, through advocacy campaigns, education programmes, training courses, information briefings and networking events.