Buddhist "EU Recovery Fund Should Allocate Differently to Member States Not Upholding Fundamental Rights"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] France has taken the position that the European Union (EU) should impose financial sanctions on member states that violate fundamental rights such as equality or freedom of the press, thereby distributing the COVID-19 recovery fund differentially.

On the 2nd (local time), Cl?ment Beaune, France’s Secretary of State for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized in an interview with a foreign media outlet that they will pressure to create a rule-of-law mechanism that conditions access to the 750 billion euro EU recovery fund on respect for fundamental values.

Beaune’s remarks were aimed at Poland and Hungary. In Poland, the ruling party with a right-wing nationalist tendency has taken measures to control the judiciary, which should maintain independence, drawing criticism within Europe. Hungary has also been accused of abusing power amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, in order to receive the fund, member states must fulfill conditions including economic reforms, climate change response, and respect for the rule of law. If a member state is judged not to comply, support can be blocked based on the decision of the majority of EU member states.

Beaune stressed that financial solidarity cannot be extended to member states that do not respect the basic principles of democracy, freedom of the press, and equality rights, and that the conditions set by the EU must be met to benefit from the recovery fund. He said, "If questions arise about how strong the EU is regarding fundamental values, all citizens will have doubts about the validity of this project," adding, "Europe is not only a market but also a cultural and political project."

Earlier, the 27 EU member state leaders agreed after a five-day marathon negotiation starting on the 17th of last month to establish a 750 billion euro COVID-19 recovery fund to support member states severely affected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.