The Rule of Law Report, also referred to as the EU Rule of Law Report, is an annual assessment published by the European Commission on significant rule of law developments in the member states of the European Union. It is the principal output of the European Rule of Law Mechanism and forms the basis of the Commission's Annual Rule of Law Cycle. The report examines positive and negative developments under four pillars: national justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media pluralism and freedom, and institutional checks and balances.
First published in 2020, each edition consists of a general communication describing developments across the EU and separate chapters for each country covered. Since 2022, the chapters for member states have included non-binding country-specific recommendations and an assessment of progress in implementing recommendations from previous editions. In 2024, the report was expanded to include Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia as part of the EU enlargement process. The seventh edition was published on 17 July 2026.
The report is intended as a preventive and dialogue-based instrument rather than an enforcement procedure. Neither the report nor its recommendations are legally enforceable. It has nevertheless become one of the EU's principal rule-of-law monitoring tools, providing evidence for political dialogue and for separate mechanisms including infringement procedures, the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, the Article 7 procedure, the European Semester and assessments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Its findings and follow-up have been particularly prominent in EU responses to developments in Poland and Hungary.
History
Background and establishment The rule of law is one of the values on which the European Union is founded under Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Before the introduction of the Rule of Law Report, the EU monitored or responded to rule-of-law issues through several separate instruments, including Article 7, infringement proceedings, the EU Justice Scoreboard, the European Semester and the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification applied to Bulgaria and Romania.
In 2016, the European Parliament called for the establishment of a formal EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. Parliament proposed an interinstitutional agreement involving the Parliament, Commission and Council of the European Union, intended to integrate existing monitoring and enforcement instruments into a regular review cycle.
In July 2019, the Commission adopted the communication Strengthening the rule of law within the Union: A blueprint for action. It proposed an annual reporting cycle covering every member state, a network of national rule-of-law contact points and closer dialogue with national authorities, parliaments and civil society. In her political guidelines for the 2019–2024 Commission, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also committed to establishing a comprehensive rule-of-law mechanism with objective annual reporting covering all member states.
The first Rule of Law Report was published on 30 September 2020. It contained a horizontal assessment of developments across the EU and individual chapters for all 27 member states. Its preparation involved written submissions from national governments, more than 200 stakeholder contributions and over 300 meetings with national authorities, judicial bodies, journalists and civil society organisations. The first and second reports also examined the effect of emergency measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic on parliamentary scrutiny, access to information and other institutional checks and balances.
Subsequent development Country-specific recommendations were introduced in the third report, published in July 2022. All member states began receiving recommendations, regardless of whether the Commission had identified major or more limited concerns. Subsequent reports assessed the progress made in implementing them.
In 2024, the country assessment was extended for the first time to Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The four countries were selected on the basis of their progress in the accession process and their level of preparedness in rule-of-law matters. They participate in the reporting process, including through written submissions and country visits, while their accession-related recommendations continue to be issued through the Commission's annual Enlargement Package.
The sixth edition, published on 8 July 2025, introduced a stronger emphasis on the relationship between the rule of law and the European single market. The Commission examined matters such as the handling of commercial cases, regulatory stability, the independence of regulatory authorities, judicial review of administrative decisions and the effects of corruption and institutional instability on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. The single-market dimension was incorporated across the existing four pillars rather than established as a separate pillar.
Methodology
Structure of the report Each edition normally contains:
a horizontal communication describing major developments and common trends across the EU; an individual chapter for every member state and each participating enlargement country; country-specific recommendations for member states; an assessment of progress in implementing recommendations from previous editions; and annexes identifying written submissions and organisations consulted during the preparation process.
Country chapters are not intended to provide an exhaustive account of every rule-of-law matter in each country. They concentrate on significant new developments and on previously identified issues that remain unresolved. The depth of coverage may therefore vary according to the seriousness, persistence or systemic nature of the developments under consideration.
The assessment is principally qualitative. The Commission evaluates national developments against obligations under EU law, the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. It also uses standards and recommendations developed by the Council of Europe, including the Venice Commission, the Group of States against Corruption and the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice.
Preparation process Preparation generally begins with a questionnaire and a request for written contributions from member states and participating enlargement countries. A targeted consultation is also opened to judicial and professional organisations, civil society groups, universities, business associations, media organisations and international institutions.
Commission officials subsequently conduct country visits, normally between January and April. They meet government representatives, judges and prosecutors, independent authorities, journalists, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations. Draft country chapters are then sent to the relevant national authorities, which may propose factual corrections or provide updated information. The final assessment and recommendations remain the political responsibility of the Commission.
For the 2025 report, the Commission organised more than 650 meetings during country visits and received approximately 270 horizontal and country-specific stakeholder submissions.
Sources used in the report include:
submissions from national authorities and stakeholders; the EU Justice Scoreboard and other Commission data; reports by the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations; judgments of European and national courts; information from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; the Media Pluralism Monitor and journalist-safety monitoring platforms; Eurobarometer surveys and other perception indicators; and reports by national courts of auditors, ombudsman institutions, anti-corruption authorities and civil society organisations.
The Commission states that perception surveys and composite indexes are interpreted cautiously and within the relevant national context. The same general monitoring framework is applied to every member state, but the Commission does not calculate an aggregate score or produce a ranking of national rule-of-law performance.
Areas covered
Justice systems The first pillar assesses the independence, quality and efficiency of national justice systems. It covers civil, administrative and criminal proceedings, including prosecution services and the enforcement of judgments.
The subjects examined include:
the appointment, promotion, transfer and dismissal of judges; the composition and independence of councils for the judiciary; disciplinary and ethical rules applying to judges; the autonomy and accountability of prosecution services; the independence of lawyers and bar associations; access to legal aid and the courts; court funding, staffing and digitalisation; the length of proceedings and enforcement of judgments; and public and business perceptions of judicial independence.
The analysis draws extensively on the EU Justice Scoreboard, judgments of the Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights, and reports by European judicial networks and Council of Europe bodies.
Anti-corruption framework The second pillar assesses the institutional and legal capacity of each country to prevent, investigate, prosecute and sanction corruption. It considers both the design of national anti-corruption systems and their practical effectiveness.
The areas examined include:
national anti-corruption strategies and specialised authorities; the criminalisation and prosecution of corruption offences; investigations and final judgments in high-level and complex corruption cases; asset and interest declarations by public officials; conflict-of-interest rules; lobbying regulation and transparency; restrictions on revolving-door employment; whistleblower protection; political immunity and limitation periods; and corruption risks in sectors such as public procurement and healthcare.
The Commission uses national criminal-justice data, Eurobarometer surveys, assessments by GRECO, OECD and United Nations bodies, and information from the European Anti-Fraud Office and European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Media pluralism and freedom The third pillar considers whether the legal and institutional environment allows independent and pluralistic media to operate without improper political or economic interference.
The subjects covered include:
the independence and resources of media regulatory authorities; transparency and concentration of media ownership; the allocation of state advertising and public-information campaigns; the governance and editorial independence of public-service media; access to public information and documents; the protection of journalists from threats, violence and surveillance; investigations into attacks on journalists; and legal intimidation, including strategic lawsuits against public participation.
The assessment uses data from the Media Pluralism Monitor, European media regulators, journalist associations, the Council of Europe platform for the safety of journalists and international press-freedom organisations.
Checks and balances The fourth pillar covers the institutions and procedures that constrain public power and permit scrutiny of executive and legislative action.
It examines:
the transparency and inclusiveness of the law-making process; public consultation and the use of accelerated or emergency legislative procedures; constitutional and judicial review of legislation; compliance with judgments of European and national courts;