#RuleofLaw

European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova said that she will be seeking a strong guarantee that European funds go where they benefit the people and not just a few. For this to happen Jourova argues that there needs to be a functioning judiciary, fair procurement system, and strong defences against corrupt practices.

The Vice-President is feeling positive about support for this measure as Germany - which is now at the helm for the six-month German presidency of the EU - has always been supportive for this proposal.

In order to suspend funds and apply the ‘rule of law condition’ a proposal will be put to EU-27 ministers and will require a reverse qualified majority for adoption. There was some suggestion that the voting system be changed requiring more countries to trigger it, but Jourova says that she is sharply opposed to that.

She added however that stopping the money is not something she would like to see, but it should be available as a last resort: ‘We need to have in our legal order, some guarantee that if things go really wrong in a member state, then the money of taxpayers cannot be paid out’