Seven member states - including Poland Hungary, the Frugal Four (plus 🇫🇮) reject council draft text on the rule of law. 🇧🇪🇱🇺 also raise objections. Council goes ahead with mandate to open negotiations with the Parliament
To make things easier from here on the EU's "Rule of Law Friends" (🇳🇱🇩🇰🇸🇪🇫🇮🇦🇹🇧🇪🇱🇺) will be known as ROLF
Senior diplomat from ROLF says German text goes against EU leaders July deal as it "limits" the powers of the commission to start legal action against a MS for breaching rule of law. Points out that EU 6 founding members are now fundamentally divided on this question
(That final remark was a shot across bow of 🇫🇷🇩🇪 obvs)
We are also in a position where ROLF - many of whom are Frugals - remain fundamentally distrustful of commission's role in independently monitoring the public finances of member states. But still vehemently defend commission's right to launch legal action against MS over RoL
**Clarification that all seven members of ROLF plus 🇭🇺🇵🇱 rejected the draft. So in total that is 9 against and 18 in favour. No abstentions.
German ambassador Michael Clauss, who chairs council talks on MFF/NGUE, says
"concern has grown that with the heated debate on RoL mechanism within the EU and also in the Council that we are increasingly running into a blockade in the overall budget negotiations"
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