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  5. Selected Issues of the Implementation of European Union Values in National Legal Systems

Almanac of law. Issue 16 (2025), pages 504–508.

DOI: 10.33663/2524-017X-2025-16-504-508

Yasinskyi P. Ya.
Selected Issues of the Implementation of European Union Values in National Legal Systems

The article explores the legal nature, content, and practical implementation of the values of the European Union (EU) as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). These values — respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights, including the rights of minorities — constitute the normative foundation of the EU’s legal order and serve as essential criteria for both Member States and candidate countries. The paper substantiates that, in the legal doctrine of the EU, values are not merely political declarations but binding legal principles, which function as a constitutional core of the Union and as benchmarks for assessing the legitimacy of national reforms.

Special attention is paid to the mechanisms of control and monitoring established to ensure compliance with these values. The article examines the procedure outlined in Article 7 TEU, which encompasses both preventive and sanctioning phases, and analyzes the practical difficulties in its implementation, particularly in the cases of Hungary and Poland. The author identifies key legal and political obstacles that prevent the final stage of the Article 7 procedure from being activated, particularly the requirement for unanimity in the European Council.

The paper also assesses the evolving role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in interpreting and enforcing EU values. Particular emphasis is placed on the CJEU’s ruling in Commission v. Poland (C-619/18), where the Court found violations of judicial independence due to structural reforms that undermined the separation of powers. The judgment illustrates how the CJEU operationalizes the rule of law as a concrete and enforceable standard, and how judicial independence is directly tied to the mutual trust underpinning the EU’s legal space.

The article further analyzes the institutional monitoring instruments developed by the European Commission, including the annual Rule of Law Report and the conditionality mechanism outlined in Regulation 2020/2092.

These tools are examined for their capacity to influence national legal reforms, their preventive function, and their potential as sanctioning instruments, especially in the context of budgetary constraints. The first application of the conditionality mechanism against Hungary in 2022 is highlighted as a precedent illustrating the interplay between legal enforcement and political will.

The article concludes that safeguarding the EU’s founding values requires not only legal instruments but also the political readiness of Member States to collaborate. Without shared commitment and effective enforcement mechanisms, the EU risks the erosion of its constitutional identity. Therefore, the realization of Article 2 TEU values must be central to all institutional processes and supported by coherent legal and political responses to systemic breaches.

Key words: European Union values; EU legal order; rule of law; constitutional state; implementation; Article 2 TEU; Article 7 TEU; enforcement mechanisms; Court of Justice of the EU; institutional monitoring; national legislation; political and legal challenges.

References

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