Statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the judgments of the European Court of Justice on the General Conditionality Regulation
“Today, the European Court of Justice confirms the validity of the general conditionality Regulation. I welcome these judgements, which follow the position that the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council and ten Member States defended in the procedure.
The Court upholds the legality of this important tool that enables us to protect better the EU budget and the financial interests of the Union against breaches of the principles of the rule of law.
This mechanism ensures that the Union budget will be protected and implemented in line with the principles of sound financial management, for the benefit of all European citizens.
The Commission will now analyse carefully the reasoning of the judgments and their possible impact on the further steps we will take under the Regulation.
Taking into account these judgments, we will adopt in the following weeks guidelines providing further clarity about how we apply the mechanism in practice.
I promised that no case will be lost. And I have kept that promise.
The Commission has been monitoring the situation in all Member States since the entry into force of the Regulation and we are assessing in depth certain cases.
Where the conditions of the Regulation are fulfilled, we will act with determination.
Today’s judgments confirm that we are on the right track.”
The statement is available online.
