On 17 July 2026, the European Commission published its 2026 Rule of Law Report, assessing the rule of law situation across all EU Member States and four enlargement countries (Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia), accompanied by 27 country-specific staff working documents. The report deepens the link between rule of law recommendations and EU funding, with stronger enforcement tools and expanded country coverage.
The report finds that 47% of the 2025 recommendations were fully or partially implemented. The 2026 recommendations are more targeted and operational. Notably, 21 Member States have included rule of law commitments in their Recovery and Resilience Plans, worth over EUR 3 billion, covering 75 reforms and 36 investments (285 milestones/targets). The Commission proposes that the 2028-2034 National and Regional Partnership Plans address Rule of Law Report challenges, with horizontal rule of law conditions as a prerequisite for support.
On media freedom, the European Media Freedom Act has been applicable since 8 August 2025, and the Commission launched its first enforcement actions in December 2025. The anti-SLAPP Directive requires Member States to have safeguards for cross-border cases; several Member States have extended protections to domestic cases. The new AgoraEU programme, with a proposed budget of EUR 8.6 billion, would support media freedom, rights, values, and rule of law. The Justice Programme budget would more than triple under the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
The report impacts several stakeholders. EU regulatory bodies gain stronger enforcement tools and a clearer link between rule of law compliance and funding. National authorities of EU countries face increased pressure to implement recommendations to access EU funds, with potential financial consequences for non-compliance. EU civil society and media benefit from enhanced protections under the Media Freedom Act and anti-SLAPP Directive, but may face challenges if national implementation lags. Enlargement countries are now included in the assessment, adding conditionality to their EU accession process.
The report is expected to be debated in the European Parliament and the Council, with Member States likely to scrutinise the new funding conditionality and the expanded scope of the report.