Safeguarding the Rule of Law: Empowering Local and Regional Authorities as Guardians of Democracy

“When the foundations of a house begin to crack, the wise do not wait for the roof to collapse. They act. They restore. They reinforce. And so it must be with the Rule of Law.”, said Stephen De Ron (LU/GREENS).

In the current geopolitical context, threats to the Rule of Law raise concerns about the resilience of democracy within the EU. Initiatives that put the rule of law at risk, such as the dismissal of independent judges, arrests of opposition leaders, intimidation of journalists or local counsellors, defunding of NGOs and the growing menace of disinformation and digital manipulation emphasise the urgent need to take action in protecting the Rule of Law, before the cracks in our democratic foundations are beyond repair.

Local and regional authorities are on the frontline, both as guardians of democracy, detecting early warning signs of Rule of Law breaches, and as the first responders. 

The opinion on “The local and regional perspective in the implementation of the rule of law in the European Union” drafted by Stephen de Ron (LU/GREENS), Member of the Hesperange Municipal Council, and adopted at the European Committee of the Regions’ plenary session on April 2nd, calls for a stronger involvement of local and regional authorities in monitoring mechanisms and in the policy-making process.

To achieve an efficient rule-of-law monitoring, the opinion recommends several concrete measures. Among them is the inclusion of the local and regional level in the EU’s annual Rule of Law report, and the creation of Local Dialogues on the Rule of Law. This new platform would provide space to engage in discussions on key issues such as press freedom, the independence of oversight bodies and administrative transparency, and will allow for “vigilance, accountability, and hope”. Additionally, a push for civic education and participation can be more efficient than relying on sanctions. By raising trust in institutions and aiming to “train, educate, and empower”, this approach will help strengthen democracy from the ground up.

Building on its call for stronger local engagement, the opinion highlights the vital role of European funding in safeguarding democratic values and stability, thus reinforcing the Rule of Law, and calls for strict and transparent budgetary conditionality criteria.  At the same time, it insists that funding must remain accessible to local governments and civil society actors who uphold EU values and should not be penalised for actions taken at the national level.

The Greens rapporteur reminded CoR members that “democracy rarely dies with a grand explosion. It fades—slowly, quietly—with every shrug of indifference”, and called on regional and local leaders to actively showcase that ” we are not merely heirs of democracy- we are its guardians, its defenders, and its builders.”