ÉLARGISSEMENT : L’ALBANIE ET LA MACÉDOINE DU NORD FRANCHISSENT UNE NOUVELLE ÉTAPE
Mardi 24 mars, après de longues tractations, le Conseil de l’Union européenne a donné son feu vert politique pour que débutent les pourparlers en amont des négociations d’adhésion avec l’Albanie et la Macédoine du Nord. Après confirmation du Conseil européen, la Commission devrait recevoir le mandat de préparation du cadre des négociations. La date de leur ouverture formelle sera décidée ultérieurement. Toujours est-il que, pour l’Albanie et la Macédoine du Nord, qui ont déposé leur demande d’adhésion il y a six et quinze ans respectivement, le chemin est encore long. En effet, après le veto apposé à l’ouverture des discussions par la France, les Pays-Bas et le Danemark en octobre dernier et la révision récente des règles encadrant les négociations d’adhésion, de nombreux efforts restent à fournir en matière d’État de droit, de lutte contre la corruption et de transparence du financement des partis politiques.
RULE OF LAW: ECJ RULES POLISH JUDGES REFERENCE REQUEST INADMISSIBLE
On Thursday 26, the ECJ rejected requests for a preliminary ruling concerning 2017 Polish measures establishing a disciplinary procedure regime against domestic judges. In essence, two Polish regional courts asked the ECJ whether such a regime was compatible with the right of individuals to effective judicial protection. However, the disputes pending before them were ruled to be unconnected with EU law. Still, the ruling is seminal as it confirms that disciplinary proceedings cannot be launched against a domestic judge as a result of their submission of a reference to the ECJ for a preliminary ruling. This case is part of a series of questions raising rule of law issues that have been put to the ECJ by Poland’s Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and District/Regional Courts since 2018.
LE POINT BREXIT
Brexit, which has dominated British headlines for over three years, has made way for the Coronavirus crisis. Already-scant hopes that an EU-UK agreement on their future relations be concluded by the end of 2020 are now deemed unrealistic. Indeed, it seems that the Brexit negotiations are, too, being quarantined. With Boris Johnson testing positive for Coronavirus on Feb 27, Michel Barnier being quarantined and his British counterpart, David Frost, presenting symptoms too, the talks have been put on hold. While both the EU and the UK are adamant that the negotiations should continue unencumbered, logistical and sanitary issues are making the postponement of the December 31 deadline likelier than ever.