On 30 March 2023, the European Parliament voted on a resolution comprising Parliament’s assessment of the Commission’s 2022 rule of law report (→ eucrim 3/2022, 166-167) and the overall state of EU values. MEPs welcomed improvements in the Commission’s annual reporting tool but called for the scope of analysis to be expanded in order to cover the entire range of EU values. They also criticized the persistent politicisation of national councils of judiciary in some countries and the lack of country-specific recommendations regarding the illegal use of spyware by Member States.

Together with Věra Jourová, the Vice President of the Commission, the MEPs also discussed the democratic backsliding of some Member States. They noted a certain amount of regression in Greece in terms of judicial independence, corruption, and the monitoring of journalists, political rivals, and other persons of interest. As regards Spain, the MEPs discussed judicial reforms, judicial independence, and the impasse over filling positions on the national council of the judiciary. The main topics of discussion with regard to Malta were the general political climate of the nation, the fight against corruption, and the investigations and prosecutions related to the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.