EU proposes 15-year safeguards for new members

The European Commission has proposed a 15-year safeguard that could allow the European Union to cut funding or suspend voting rights for new member states found to have seriously breached EU values. The plan is part of a wider enlargement package that would also let qualifying candidate countries take part in some EU programmes and policy areas before full membership. The proposed safeguard would apply during a country’s first 15 years in the bloc. The Commission says it is intended to address serious violations of democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights or the principle of sincere cooperation. Funding cuts and other measures could be imposed, with suspension of voting rights reserved for the most serious cases, according to the proposal. The Commission has argued that existing treaty procedures are not an effective enough response to democratic backsliding. Article 7 can ultimately suspend a member state’s voting rights, but the process has not reached that sanction. The new mechanism is intended to complement it. The proposal does not settle all details, including the specific decision procedure for imposing measures.