This year’s report covers the four pillars of the rule of law: the independence of the judiciary, the anti-corruption frameworks, media pluralism and freedom, and other institutional and constitutional issues in Member States. Slovenia has supported the rule of law mechanism and the drafting of the report since the idea’s inception. The rule of law is the very foundation of mutual trust between Member States and institutions of the EU. This is why the monitoring of the rule of law must be conducted in a transparent manner based on credible, reliable and comparable sources. It is critical that the process ensure equal treatment and rigorous examination, including in the context of all relevant circumstances in Member States and EU institutions.

Just as during the drafting of the report, Slovenia will be an active participant in further proceedings. This is the first report of this kind and presents relatively favourable findings with respect to Slovenia. Since the report refers to several public opinion indicators, it is likely to trigger a lively discussion in public and within EU institutions. The Ministry is optimistic that these discussions will remain open, non-selective and constructive and thus make an important contribution to the shaping of a consensus on the real situation of the rule of law in Slovenia and the EU, and on the steps required to improve the situation. This would be of crucial importance in light of methodological upgrades for future reports of the European Commission and for consolidating the rule of law at home and across the European Union in the future.