Daniel Freund

Respect the rules, receive EU Money

When authorities and courts no longer work independently, EU funds usually do not arrive  where they are needed. Instead, they end up in the pockets of powerful government politicians and business people. As the Green negotiator for the rule of law mechanism, I am committed to tie the disbursement of EU funds to the adherence with basic rule of law principles. Previous attempts to sanction would-be autocrats like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for their attacks on the rule of law have failed due to a blockade by EU Member States. This must be prevented under the new mechanism. Moreover, suspension must not be at the expense of the citizens on the ground. Farmers, Erasmus students and NGOs must not be sanctioned for the actions of their government. They should continue to receive EU funding.

A cross-party fight against corruption

129 Members from 23 Member States and six political groups: We have created this Intergroup because we are convinced that the fight against corruption can only be won together. We want to join forces to promote political initiatives against corrupt practices in the EU. We want the European Union to step up its fight against corruption and tax fraud. At the same time, we also want the EU institutions to become more transparent.

I chair the Intergroup together with Roberta Metsola, a Maltese Member of Parliament.

Our main objectives for this legislature:

• A regular anti-corruption report from the EU Commission
• Strengthening the EU Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
• Introducing a rule of law mechanism
• Strengthening independent media and journalism
• Lobby transparency also in the Council
• Establishing an independent ethics body for conflicts of interests, revolving doors and lobbying
• More transparency in the Council
• Ban on selling EU citizenship and granting so-called “golden visas”

A strong EU prosecution service

Only national authorities can currently investigate and prosecute fraud against the EU budget. This will change with the creation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The authority will be an indispensable tool in the fight against corruption in the EU – provided it has the necessary resources. It would need three times as many prosecutors as at present to deal with all cases. And only 22 member states have joined EPPO so far. We need to give incentives to those countries that have not yet joined to change this. The disbursement of additional EU funds should be linked to EPPO participation. Those who receive EU funds must also undergo checks.