Analysis
The statement aligns with the **Treaty on European Union (TEU) Article 2**, which mandates that all member states uphold democracy, the rule of law, and human rights as *non-negotiable* membership conditions. The **European Commission** and **Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU)** have repeatedly affirmed this principle, including in **2020-2021 rulings** targeting Poland and Hungary over judicial independence violations (e.g., *Case C-791/19* on Poland’s disciplinary regime for judges). Rutte’s framing mirrors **official EU summit conclusions** and **European Parliament resolutions** from 2020–2021, which explicitly tied EU funding and membership rights to rule-of-law compliance. No credible evidence suggests his statement misrepresented EU policy.
Background
The EU’s rule-of-law mechanism, strengthened in **2020**, allows financial sanctions for member states violating democratic norms. Poland and Hungary faced **Article 7 proceedings** (2017 and 2018, respectively) for undermining judicial independence, with the **CJEU ruling in February 2022** (after Rutte’s statement) upholding the legality of conditioning EU funds on rule-of-law adherence. Rutte’s remarks occurred amid **2021 budget disputes** where Poland/Hungary vetoed the EU’s €1.8 trillion budget over rule-of-law conditions, later resolved via compromise.
Verdict summary
Mark Rutte’s 2021 statement accurately reflects the EU’s longstanding rule-of-law requirements, as enshrined in Article 2 TEU and reinforced by multiple EU institutions and legal rulings.