Towards a strengthened methodology for the elaboration of the Rule of Law Report

This paper draws on the discussion during a High-Level Policy Dialogue on “How to secure compliance with the Rule of Law,” organised by the EUI School of Transnational Governance in October 2021The Rule of Law Report, firstly introduced by the European Commission in 2020, monitors annually the rule of law situation in member states. This exercise helps to identify and to anticipate breaches and prevent further erosions. This Policy Brief proposes a series of methodological improvements for upcoming editions that might help to strength the robustness of the report. On the one hand, it focuses on two elements that the Report already considers: judicial independence and media freedom. For these elements, the Brief proposes strengthened assessment standards and data collection, and include new topics that are gaining relevance. On the other hand, the document suggests two additional areas for future editions - a comprehensive assessment of independent authorities in member states and a COVID-19 measures impact audit. Increasing methodological soundness will improve the transparency, validity and accountability of the Repor