The EU as a Global Rule of Law Promoter: The Consistency and Effectiveness Challenges
20 Pages Posted: 6 Jun 2015 Last revised: 22 Jan 2016
Date Written: September 18, 2015
Abstract
This paper aims to examine the consistency and effectiveness of the EU as a global promoter of values by focusing on the rule of law, one of the key values on which the EU is based and which is also supposed to guide the EU’s external action. The paper first offers the diagnosis that the EU has failed to properly address a number of key issues: (i) what the EU seeks to promote under the heading ‘rule of law’; (ii) how it measures and monitors a country’s adherence to this principle and (iii) the disconnect between its external and internal policies and instruments. To address these issues, four key recommendations are made: (i) the adoption of a guidance note; (ii) the development of a transversal measurement and monitoring instrument; (iv) the adoption of a rule of law checklist and (iv) the revision of the role of EU Fundamental Rights Agency, with the view of transforming it into a ‘Copenhagen Commission’ with new powers and a broader geographical remit.
Keywords: European Union, Rule of Law, External Action
JEL Classification: K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation