The surprising announcement yesterday afternoon by Commissioners Lahbib and Mînzatu that abortions can now be financed by the European Social Fund (ESF+) is probably one of the most outrageous abuses of power in the history of the European Union, which is by no means lacking in such brazen transgressions. It is an attempt to change existing law without any legislative procedure, simply by means of a ‘communication’ – suddenly interpreting it in a completely different way than it has been understood until now. The Commission, to believe its own words, thinks that this is ‘smart’.
No, this course of action is not at all ‘smart’, but it is a clear violation of EU Treaties, which require that legal changes can only be enacted through legal procedures, not simply by holding a press conference in which it is announced that a law has, for reasons unknown, changed its meaning overnight. It also shows that the Von-der-Leyen Commission, which lectures everyone else on the importance of the “rule of law”, has a rather cavalier approach to that foundational legal principle and, it must be suspected, has probably no clue what that term even means. From a constitutional point of view, this rupture of constitutionality and breach of the rule of law is without doubt illegal and should give every democrat cause for concern, regardless of their worldview. If the executive power is allowed to re-interpret rules in this way, then nothing and nobody is secure anymore.
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