The Rule of Law and the EU Budget for 2021–2027: More Solidarity or Renouncing the Values of the EU?
The Rule of Law and the EU Budget for 2021–2027: More Solidarity or Renouncing the Values of the EU?

Summary/Abstract: This paper looks at the proposals of the European Commission for theMultiannual Financial Framework 2021–2027, and explores how to achieve a betterfuture for Europe by ensuring compliance with the legally binding values and objectivesof the EU: democracy, equality, the rule of law, economic, social and territorialcohesion and solidarity between the member states. It is argued that introducing progressivity, a reform of the EU’s finances involvinga paradigm shift in the financing of policies with redistributive effects and a reform ofthe system of the EU’s ‘own resources,’ would ensure that solidarity becomes a matterof the rule of law and not of governance through conditionalities and fines. It is pointed out that, unless the EU undertakes an effective reform of its redistributivepolicies to ensure that progressivity and solidarity in the EU become a matterof the rule of law, the Union will bear less and less resemblance to a democracy andwill increasingly look like an empire with an economically stronger and more rapidlydeveloping ‘core,’ and an economically weaker ‘periphery’ in the East and the Southlagging behind the ‘core.’ What is needed is collective action by the member states most immediately interestedin a reform to make the system of EU’s ‘own resources’ less regressive and tointroduce progressivity in the financing of the policies of the EU. It would take significantskill for those countries to organize themselves as a group and to act togetherin the course of the adoption of the legislative proposals for the next MFF in order tomake the EU more equitable.

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