In the initiative report we call for ambitious reforms to guarantee that the EU’s Conditionality Regulation is applied rigorously, fairly, and transparently across all Member States.
The conditionality regulation has been in place for close to five years by now, and has only been triggered once, in December 2022 against Hungary, where the measures are still in place. As a result, the country has permanently lost 1 billion euros in funding up to now. While we consider that the tool has been effective, many aspects ought still to be improved. Decisions on how to use unspent EU funds should be taken by the EU’s budget-makers during the annual budget process, not left to the Commission to decide on its own.”
For Renew Europe, it is clear: EU funds must always serve citizens' interests. We warn against any attempt to manipulate this mechanism for political gain and urge for stronger democratic oversight to ensure accountability and trust. We stand for a fair, transparent, and citizen-focused European budget where every euro is spent in line with the Union's shared values and the rule of law.
Renew Europe MEP's Moritz Körner (FDP/Germany) and Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (Uniunea Salvați/Romania) have led the negotiations on behalf of the group.
We are pleased to have secured that Parliament’s deal sets a clear, hard-line stance: Europe needs a powerful rule-of-law mechanism covering the entire EU budget, with no carve-outs or loopholes. It calls for strict conditions on funding and immediate freezing of funds the moment a government backslides. As liberals and democrats, we insist on the fact that Parliament must have an equal voice in every enforcement decision and refuse to let governments police themselves.
Moritz KörnerRenew Europe MEP, Germany, Freie Demokratische Partei
The Conditionality Regulation works, Hungary showed that clearly, but its enforcement has been too slow and too inconsistent. The Commission should have acted from day one. To restore credibility, we need a system that is rigorous, transparent and completely impartial, no matter who governs a Member State. And we must protect final beneficiaries, local communities, NGOs, universities, businesses, from being punished for their governments’ failures, while systemic breaches, must trigger swift and proportionate action to safeguard the EU budget.
Vlad Vasile-VoiculescuRenew Europe MEP, Romania, Uniunea Salvați România