EU Lawmakers Back Funding Stick to Stop Rule-of-Law Offenders

European Union lawmakers voted to link billions of euros in the bloc’s future funding to rule-of-law standards, in an attempt to step up efforts to stop the erosion of democracy in the world’s largest trading bloc.

The rules approved by the European Parliament on Thursday would allow financial sanctions, including the suspension of payments from the EU budget, for violations such as undermining judicial independence or failing to tackle corruption. EU government ministers must also agree to the new measures for them to take effect in the next seven-year budget cycle starting from 2021.