While concerns over the rule of law remain in some EU member states, the rule of law report has become a key driver for change and positive reforms, according to the European Commission.
In fact, 65% of last year’s recommendations have been, fully or partially, addressed, the EU Commission report added.
This shows that important efforts are ongoing in member states to follow up on the previous year’s recommendations. Given that reforms to improve the rule of law framework take time, this reflects a significant development over only one year. At the same time, systemic concerns remain in some member states.
Corruption is a serious concern for EU citizens and businesses alike, according to the report.
Regarding Greece, it said that it is considered a “high risk” country in terms of press freedom.
More specifically, Greece has made no progress on addressing the need for involvement of the judiciary in the appointment of President and Vice-President of the Council of State, the Supreme Court and the Court of Audit taking into account European standards on judicial appointments.
On the other hand, some progress has been made on increasing efforts to establish a robust track record of prosecutions and final judgments in corruption cases as well as in establishing safeguards to improve the working conditions and physical safety of journalists in line with the Memorandum of Understanding. However, it added that legislative safeguards are still to be established, taking into account European standards on the protection of journalists.
Progress has also been recorded on ensuring the effective and systematic verification of the accuracy of asset disclosures filed by all types of public officials.
