Joint statement on the principles of the rule of law in times of Covid-19
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Thirteen EU countries on Wednesday issued a joint statement calling for coronavirus emergency measures to be temporary and in line with rule of law principles.
The move comes after Hungary’s parliament on Monday voted by a two-thirds majority to allow the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to rule by decree without a set time limit. Under the new law, individuals who publicize what are viewed as untrue or distorted facts face several years in jail.
Declaration by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden
In this unprecedented situation, it is legitimate that Member States adopt extraordinary measures to protect their citizens and overcome the crisis.
We are however deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures. Emergency measures should be limited to what is strictly necessary, should be proportionate and temporary in nature, subject to regular scrutiny, and respect the aforementioned principles and international law obligations.
They should not restrict the freedom of expression or the freedom of the press.
We need to jointly overcome this crisis and to jointly uphold our European principles and values on this path.
We therefore support the European Commission initiative to monitor the emergency measures and their application to ensure the fundamental values of the Union are upheld, and invite the General Affairs Council to take up the matter when appropriate.
