EU chief vows to halt funding for democracy offenders
European Commission President Urusla von der Leyen delivers state of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 14, 2022. REUTERS
STRASBOURG, France — The European Union will freeze funding for member states flouting democratic tenets and will step up its fight against corruption, the head of the bloc’s executive told her annual policy speech to European lawmakers.
“We will keep insisting on judicial independence. And we will also protect our budget through the conditionality mechanism,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She was referring to the EU’s “cash for democracy” budget sanction that allows o stop funding to countries undercutting core tenets of liberal democracies.
RELATED STORIES
Democracy at risk in Balkans, divisions growing, Croatia warns
EU lawmakers warn PH of losing trade perks due to rights record
Palace to European Parliament: Gov’t addressing rights issues
