On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the European Commission’s first Rule of Law Report and at the dawn of negotiations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Sophie Wilmès (Renew), Chair of the DRFMG, together with MEPs Alessandro Zan (S&D) and Michał Wawrykiewicz (EPP), are putting forward this Wednesday, 14 October, an integrated vision for monitoring the rule of law across Europe. Their cross-party proposal takes the form of a European Rule of Law Semester, modelled on the existing European Semester for economic and budgetary coordination.
The rule of law is a defining feature of the European Union, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaties and forming a cornerstone of the European ideal shared by all those who have contributed to the building of the European project. In recent years, this principle has increasingly been challenged in political discourse. It is at times circumvented or even openly violated by certain governments. Moreover, citizens who, in their search for efficiency and swift action, associate the rule of law with bureaucracy, administrative or judicial delays, or the mere existence of laws sometimes misunderstand it. In reality, the rule of law is designed to safeguard freedoms and rights while preventing abuses of power.
Now more than ever, there is a pressing need for a transparent, comprehensible, and effective process to defend the rule of law within the EU and thereby strengthen our democracies. The idea of having a structured cycle to monitor the rule of law in the EU has garnered support across several political groups and has received a positive response from the European Commission, as expressed during the 2025 State of the Union address.
The European Rule of Law Semester would be structured around a full annual cycle comprising several key stages — from the publication of the Commission’s report to a dedicated “moment de rendez-vous” during which the implementation of recommendations would be rigorously assessed, potentially triggering specific instruments.
The attached document outlines the proposal in full detail.