Protecting EU values

Abstract

This chapter discusses the instruments currently on the table regarding the enforcement of EU values, exposing their strengths and weaknesses in legal and practical terms. It also offers an evaluation of the first use of the Rule of Law Framework. So far, most of the proposed instruments have been presented in isolation. This is particularly true of the proposed ‘Copenhagen Commission’ and the ‘Reverse Solange’ mechanism. This chapter presents and normatively assesses the ideas proposed and discusses a possible way to combine instruments that so far have been considered separately. It argues that the most apt European response to systemic deficiencies is to combine judicial mechanisms, including the Reverse Solange mechanism, as well as a complementary political approach.