Improving the Framework to Protect the Rule of Law and the EU Budget

Topic: Rule of law

Author: European Partnership for Democracy

February 2024

Money talks: The Rule of Law and the EU Budget. #EU2024BE

Defending the Rule of Law is a priority of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Ahead of the publication of a European Court of Auditors’ special report in February, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Partnership for Democracy want to open the discussion on how to protect the EU’s financial interests in the event of violations of the Rule of Law.

We are glad to invite you to join the talk and exchange on how to improve the framework to protect the Rule of Law and the EU budget further.

9.00-9.30: Welcome and coffee

9.30-9.45: Opening

Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions, Belgium

09.45-10.00: Report Presentation

Annemie Turtelboom, Member of the European Court of Auditors

10.00-10.15: Key-note speech

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration, European Commission

10.15-11.45: Panel Discussion and Q&A

Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Member of the European Parliament

Michael Meyer-Resende, Executive Director, Democracy Reporting International (DRI)

John Morijn, Chair in Law and Politics in International Relations, University of Groningen and Fellow in Law & Public Policy, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Annemie Turtelboom, Member of the European Court of Auditors

Moderation by Ken Godfrey, Executive Director, European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)

11.45-12.00: Concluding remarks

Ken Godfrey, Executive Director, European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)

12.00-13.00: Sandwich lunch

Registrations for this event are closed.

Cover photo copyright: Philippe Samyn and Partners architects & engineers – lead and design partner, Studio Valle Progettazioni architects, Buro Happold engineers, Consilium Newsroom.