Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel, a German MEP and the EU Rapporteur for Kosovo, has slammed Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi for the latest positive Commission report on Serbia.
In an op-ed published on Euractiv, Cramon-Taubadel argues that the report is “a blatant example of how rule of law standards can be compromised under a Commissioner representing Viktor Orbán’s ideology.”
Várhelyi, a Hungarian diplomat, is the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, who is tasked with overseeing the integration process of the Western Balkans, among others.
In her piece, Cramon-Taubadel focuses on the Commission’s progress report on Serbia, which assesses a country’s preparedness to join the EU. She argues that the 2021 report does not condemn Serbia for its failure to ensure the independence of its judiciary, specifically with regards to its State Prosecutorial Council.
This, Cramon-Taubadel writes, is in direct opposition to the fact that rule of law remains “the essence of the EU legal order.”
The Rapporteur describes the report as a “blatant example of how the European Commission became politicised for the interest of the Orbán-Vučić axis and that the rule of law standards can be compromised under the Commission’s watch.”
Cramon-Taubadel concludes that the Commission must restore its credibility and investigate institutional capture within its ranks.
Cramon-Taubadel has also harshly criticized the EU-Western Balkan Summit held in Brdo, Slovenia on October 6. She referred to the summit as “a parade of hypocrisy, empty words, autocratic appeasement, and above all, pretence,” saying the promise of enlargement seemed distant.
