STRASBOURG, France
The European Commission must "immediately" set up a system to monitor member countries' compliance with European Union (EU) values and accession criteria, said a resolution passed by European Parliament (EP) on Thursday.
The monitoring system, known as the "Copenhagen mechanism," should include binding recommendations and penalties for breaches, such as freezing EU funds, the press release on the EP website said.
"In all EU countries there are breaches of EU values, principles and legislation... If the EU wants to be a moral force that will influence the rest of the world in a good way, it has to be strict with itself," rapporteur Louis Michel stated after the vote approving the resolution.
The resolution also stressed the need to protect national minorities, regional linguistic groups and constitutional regions at the EU level.
National minorities make up over ten percent of the EU population, added the resolution.
Members of parliament also urged national governments to invest more in policies to integrate persons with disabilities in society by removing all forms of discrimination and restrictions on their rights to vote and stand for elections.
European Parliament votes to tackle human rights flaws in the EU
The European Comission should immediately set up a system for monitoring member countries' compliance with EU values and the accession criteria, according to a resolution passed by parliament on Thursday.
The resolution was approved by 312 votes to 244, with 27 abstentions.
The monitoring system, also known as the "Copenhagen Criteria", should include binding suggestions and penalties for breaches, such as freezing EU funds, said parliament members. There will also be a "Copenhagen Commission" of independent high-level experts on fundamental rights.
"In all EU countries there are breaches of EU values, principles and legislation. There are still too many places in Europe and too many cases that show that there are shortcomings. If the EU wants to be a moral force that will influence the rest of the world in a good way it has to be strict with itself," said Belgian Member of the European Parliament, Louis Michel.
The new system would make suggestions and impose penalties for EU countries that fail to comply. The parliament members also suggested EU Treaty Article 7, which determines whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values in a member state, with the aim of seperating clearly the "risk" and "violation" stages.
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