The Inviolability of the European Union’s Values – a Critical Analysis of TEU’s Article 2 Execution Mechanism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/ZNUEK.2017.0967.0706Keywords:
European Union’ values, article 7 of TEU, the EU framework to strengthen the rule of law, J. W. MüllerAbstract
The inviolability of the European Union’s values is of vital interest to the Union. The list of these values is laid down in article 2 of TEU, while Article 7 lays down the mechanism of their enforcement. The terms and conditions for using Article 7, and anxieties about possible outcomes, have led this article to be dubbed the nuclear option. Its nature prompted the European Commission (EC) to adopt a more practical tool – the New Framework to Strengthen the Rule of Law (2014). Responding to the prolonged constitutional crisis in Poland, the EC has now for the first time invoked its framework to evaluate the conditions of rule of law in a particular Member State.
This article presents a critical analysis of the mechanism enabled by Article 7 and the tool created by the EC. The analysis proves that Union’s instruments established to enforce respect for its values are ineffective, which limits its ability to properly respond to the violation of these values and effectively secure the vital interests of the European Union as well.
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