The European Commission published its 2026 Rule of Law Report on 17 July 2026, issuing country-specific recommendations for all EU Member States based on progress since the 2025 report. The report finds mixed progress, with several recommendations showing no or limited advancement, and calls for continued reforms in justice, anti-corruption, media freedom, and civil society space.
For Belgium, the Commission recommends continuing to address justice resource deficiencies and digitalisation, resuming lobbying transparency reform, adopting rules on gifts for MPs and revolving doors for government, strengthening access to official documents, and ensuring compliance with court rulings. Bulgaria is urged to avoid long-term judge secondments, reform the Supreme Judicial Council, ensure a track record on high-level corruption cases, fully operationalise the Anti-Corruption Commission, strengthen integrity for top executive functions, and improve legislative process quality.
Czechia should advance justice digitalisation, reduce the length of high-level corruption proceedings, strengthen the integrity framework on revolving doors, revise conflict-of-interest legislation, and improve legislative transparency and stakeholder consultation. Denmark is recommended to complete a legal aid review, introduce revolving-door and lobbying rules, improve control of asset declarations, and reform the Access to Public Administrative Documents Act.
Germany is called on to implement the Pact for the Rule of Law, strengthen the legislative footprint, create a press right-to-information legal basis, and adapt tax-exempt status for non-profit organisations. Estonia should adapt the composition of the Council for the Administration of Courts. Ireland is urged to finalise litigation cost reduction, strengthen the ethics framework and digitalise asset declarations, and address legal obstacles to civil society organisation funding.
Greece needs to establish a track record on corruption prosecutions, improve the lobbying framework, complete anti-SLAPP safeguards, and consolidate structured dialogue with civil society organisations. Spain should adapt the appointment procedure for the Council for the Judiciary, strengthen the Prosecutor General statute, revise the Code of Criminal Procedure for high-level corruption cases, and strengthen conflict-of-interest rules.
The report, which covers all 27 Member States, serves as a monitoring tool and does not impose binding obligations but provides a basis for the annual rule of law dialogue among EU institutions. The European Parliament and the Council are expected to discuss the findings in the coming months, with the Commission set to follow up on implementation in the 2027 report.