His issue rule of law in Hellasthe Malta and Spain discussed today in plenary session of the European Parliament. Commission Vice-President for Values ​​and Transparency Viera Jourova noted that “the Commission welcomes the draft resolution under discussion” and also that it (the Commission) appreciates the fact that the draft resolution highlights a number of positive approaches of the report , including the pillars it covers, such as the independence, quality and effectiveness of justice systems, anti-difference frameworks, freedom of the press and pluralism and other balances of institutions. He emphasized that “the rule of law as a principle is not an ideology. The rule of law is a universal value that we agree to defend and promote.”

Ms. Jourova added that following the requests made by the European Parliament, the Commission added some new topics to last year’s report, such as public media and the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. “The 2022 report also covered issues such as the use of tracking software such as Pegasus in Greece, Spain, Hungary, Poland and France,” noted the Vice-President of the Commission.

Regarding Greece, as Viera Jourova mentioned, the report recognizes a number of measures aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of the Greek justice system, while challenges remain to be addressed, particularly regarding the length of court proceedings. The report also notes that the requirement to register civil society organizations creates concern regarding the ability of NGOs to operate in Greece and receive financial support. Finally, he said that challenges in the media sector, transparency in media ownership, threats and attacks on journalists or the adequacy of media regulatory authorities’ resources also remain a concern. The report recommended that the protection of journalists should be improved, she noted.

In relation to Malta, the report reflects a series of reforms that started in 2020 and are still being implemented. In particular, reforms to judicial appointments have helped to strengthen the independence of the judicial system in Malta, the Vice-President for Values ​​and Transparency said, adding that challenges remain, such as the effectiveness of justice as the length of proceedings continues to deteriorate recent years.

For Spain, the 2022 report highlights that the renewal of the justice council has been pending since the end of 2018 and there have been additional calls to modify the appointment system in this council based on European standards, Ms. Jurova underlined. The Commission, he said, recommended that Spain proceed with the renewal of the justice council as a matter of priority.