Enforcing EU Values: Reverse Solange and a Systemic Deficiency Committee

Abstract

Some of the Member States of the European Union (EU) are threatening fundamental principles enshrined in Article 2 TEU. Authoritarian tendencies, threatening democracy and human rights, are evident in Hungary and Romania. In Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and again Romania, systemic corruption and the weakness of some domestic institutions threaten the Union’s fundamental rule of law principle. The financial crisis has aggravated some of the deficiencies. It adds to the sense of crisis that to date only few EU remedies exist. We suggest the establishment of a "Systemic Deficiency Committee" to suplemment the new EU Rule of Law Framework introduced by the Commission in 2014.