Germany wants to take away EU funds from countries violating rule of law

German government is proposing a reform that would make possible withholding EU funding for the member states which fail to meet the EU's standards on the rule of law. Several media outlets have obtained a draft outlining EU's first budget after Brexit which addresses such concerns. “The possibility should be investigated of whether the receipt of EU cohesion funds could be linked to adherence to fundamental rule of law principles,” the document stated. The document suggests that cohesion fund payments could be blocked if a member state's rule of law standards have been criticized by the European Commission. Recently, both Poland and Hungary have faced such criticism. “The discussions around future cohesion policy can't be seen in isolation, but must be discussed in the context of the future multi-year financing framework of the EU and its role in the implementation of the EU's priorities,” the document explained.