The EESC conference on "Fundamental rights and the rule of law – trends in the EU from a civil society perspective", which took place on 5 November in Brussels, signalled the urgent need to involve civil society in promoting a culture of the rule of law in Europe.
With reports of breaches of the core EU values on the rise, this conference highlighted the need for a mature and structured dialogue between governments and civil society to reverse backsliding on the rule of law in the EU.
The conference built on the EESC's newly published report on the rule-of-law situation in Europe. It was compiled by the EESC's Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law (FRRL), following the Group's initial visits to Member States in 2018 and 2019 aimed at detecting general trends in this core EU value and specific national features. The FRRL group plans to visit all EU Member States in the coming years. (ll)