Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values

(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2022 7(2), 671-695 | Article | (Table of Contents) I. Situating the topic. - II. Dealing with rule transgressions. - II.1. Instrumentalist and normative approaches. - II.2. The potential of peer reviews. - III. What is wrong wi...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Thomas Conzelmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Papers (www.europeanpapers.eu) 2022-11-01
Series:European Papers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.europeanpapers.eu/en/e-journal/peer-reviewing-rule-law-new-mechanism-safeguard-eu-values
_version_ 1811192092160950272
author Thomas Conzelmann
author_facet Thomas Conzelmann
author_sort Thomas Conzelmann
collection DOAJ
description (Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2022 7(2), 671-695 | Article | (Table of Contents) I. Situating the topic. - II. Dealing with rule transgressions. - II.1. Instrumentalist and normative approaches. - II.2. The potential of peer reviews. - III. What is wrong with the current approaches? - III.1. The Article 7 procedure and the rule of law framework. - III.2. The budget conditionality mechanism. - III.3. The Commission Rule of Law Report. - III.4. The Council's annual Rule of Law Dialogue. - IV. The EU Rule of Law Peer Review. - IV.1. History of the initiative. - IV.2. Which institutional design for the initiative? - IV.3. Can the EU peer review address the problems of the approaches? - V. Ways ahead? | (Abstract) The possible remedies that the EU can use against backsliding on the rule of law are limited: While art. 7 TEU has been widely conceived as ineffective, the recently introduced budget conditionality may become bogged down in court cases. Softer instruments like the Commission Rule of Law Report provide observations on rule of law developments, but are in themselves unable to address transgressions. Against this background, the Council has recently introduced a peer review mechanism that may exert peer and public pressure on transgressors. However, the agreed procedures show important deficits such as lacking transparency to the outside world, limited time devoted to the re-view, and the absence of clear country-specific recommendations that could become the focus of peer and public pressure. The new procedure thus needs reform to achieve results. A comparison with peer reviews among states in other international organizations show the potential that peer reviewing holds.
first_indexed 2024-04-11T23:47:01Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d3078ec703dc40e6b6c5eb6bda32e448
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2499-8249
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T23:47:01Z
publishDate 2022-11-01
publisher European Papers (www.europeanpapers.eu)
record_format Article
series European Papers
spelling doaj.art-d3078ec703dc40e6b6c5eb6bda32e4482022-12-22T03:56:37ZengEuropean Papers (www.europeanpapers.eu)European Papers2499-82492022-11-012022 7267169510.15166/2499-8249/593Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU ValuesThomas Conzelmann0Maastricht University(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2022 7(2), 671-695 | Article | (Table of Contents) I. Situating the topic. - II. Dealing with rule transgressions. - II.1. Instrumentalist and normative approaches. - II.2. The potential of peer reviews. - III. What is wrong with the current approaches? - III.1. The Article 7 procedure and the rule of law framework. - III.2. The budget conditionality mechanism. - III.3. The Commission Rule of Law Report. - III.4. The Council's annual Rule of Law Dialogue. - IV. The EU Rule of Law Peer Review. - IV.1. History of the initiative. - IV.2. Which institutional design for the initiative? - IV.3. Can the EU peer review address the problems of the approaches? - V. Ways ahead? | (Abstract) The possible remedies that the EU can use against backsliding on the rule of law are limited: While art. 7 TEU has been widely conceived as ineffective, the recently introduced budget conditionality may become bogged down in court cases. Softer instruments like the Commission Rule of Law Report provide observations on rule of law developments, but are in themselves unable to address transgressions. Against this background, the Council has recently introduced a peer review mechanism that may exert peer and public pressure on transgressors. However, the agreed procedures show important deficits such as lacking transparency to the outside world, limited time devoted to the re-view, and the absence of clear country-specific recommendations that could become the focus of peer and public pressure. The new procedure thus needs reform to achieve results. A comparison with peer reviews among states in other international organizations show the potential that peer reviewing holds.https://www.europeanpapers.eu/en/e-journal/peer-reviewing-rule-law-new-mechanism-safeguard-eu-valuesrule of lawpeer reviewcomplianceeuropean unionarticle 7backsliding
spellingShingle Thomas Conzelmann
Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
European Papers
rule of law
peer review
compliance
european union
article 7
backsliding
title Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
title_full Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
title_fullStr Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
title_full_unstemmed Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
title_short Peer Reviewing the Rule of Law? A New Mechanism to Safeguard EU Values
title_sort peer reviewing the rule of law a new mechanism to safeguard eu values
topic rule of law
peer review
compliance
european union
article 7
backsliding
url https://www.europeanpapers.eu/en/e-journal/peer-reviewing-rule-law-new-mechanism-safeguard-eu-values
work_keys_str_mv AT thomasconzelmann peerreviewingtheruleoflawanewmechanismtosafeguardeuvalues