what to do with my waist. difference by choosing small solutions for staying sitting. behind. the series if you. don't. you have 10000000 e.u. citizens living on the authoritarian rule we cannot tolerate the sick democracies in europe we have small problems only hungry oh. the insurrection in washington has focused attention on the apparent fragility of democracy in the us but how strong is democracy in europe and i guess this week from germany is going to cric down an m.p. from angela merkel's c.v. you party and chair of the e.u. affairs committee in the federal parliament why the big gap between the e's rhetoric about rights and the rule of law and the dismal reality in parts of the

union. country from welcome to comfort zone. money when borland took over the rotating e.u. presidency it's set itself the tasco of protecting fundamental values and rights in the european union and i want to look 1st at whether it met that objective in any way at all according to human rights groups you have now almost 10000000 citizens living on the authoritarian rule in hungary aren't you ashamed of the. well i am not totally satisfied with the results to be very honest in way we are able to achieve the 1st step to come now that the financial aid from the budget

of the euro e.u. learned to the respect of the rule of law just wasn't quite my gma wasn't my question about hungary you have 10000000 e.u. citizens living under our fora tarion rule and you have the commission's vice president e.u. commission's vice president very sure of or went so far as to call hungary a sick democracy how many sick democracies can you tolerate in the european union these days. we can now tolerate a 6 democracies in european union but you can break but you do not know one second please let me choose my sentence because we have not problems only in hungary but also and poland are unmarked when a journalist asked kill and we had to surf there are a ts did not read the 1st case so all i think it is necessary to make more pressure he states and with the budget we have really and truly not in our am

and so i am satisfied that we did the 1st step but i think also it is not and will be not enough in the future should be normal to respect the rule of law instead of your union yes well they've gone a long way from what you regard as normal that this tool that you're talking about is a mechanism which germany proposed that looks as though the e.u. would make payments to member countries conditional on their respect for the rule of law the problem for several countries was that it was just too soft in fact it was all hype wasn't it when you looked at the fine print of the proposal it turned out this mechanism could only be used if the rule of law if the violations of rule of law affected or seriously rest affecting the sound financial management of the e.u. so in other words it was all about money and that wasn't enough for a lot of countries was it i think money is a very good tool to meet pressure on states because they did the buying and saw

finally it was necessary to find a compromise because i think you followed the baby's heart difficult it was to get a solution concerning the mutual financial strain or and also they recover a farm which allows now to rebuild colony of the concerns state you'll encounter carona rights but anyway now we have not only mechanist. the combination with the financial aid. also article says proceed. finally we have the core of the european union and it's up to them now to decide if there are violations of rule of law or a way i think it is well to have another this combination. with the change but most agree upon your article 7 process is against poland hungary have gone absolutely nowhere and the looks as though none of this is going to result in any sustained

that action whatsoever and this latest mechanism also ended in failure because both hungary and poland announced that if you went ahead with it and they would veto the latest stimulus package straight unashamed blackmail wasn't it and you gave in to it. no i don't share his opinion because really always respected the decisions of the ira and this is on me personally the red line the red line means to respect the decisions of the high court so they're sciences and did in the past so now they will also do their we have more problems all over and saw my view i had asked the mob to respect decisions and the now we have once again this is known as the respect rule of law otherwise 'd we can lock them up and this is the one consequence one

will slowly. feel. concerns it's i have to take issue with you when you say that you know this mechanism survived intact what what you did was in fact climbdown but when brokered a deal that will have the effect of delaying for months even years the use of this procedure and then only after the european court of justice has ruled on it and the hungry in poland have had the chance to challenge it who knows how long that's going to take so this has been kicked indefinitely into the future in other words nothing will happen will it. i don't think so because the decision will be taken by the european coffee wool also haven't even checked from the very beginning and not only for the future that means 'd when the decision was taken by the european car so this was very harmful in other lands and so once again i. am really glad that we have not had this combination

between the 2 and respect the floor which was not the case in the past let's see how well it works it set a precedent that you will climb down you will climb down every time there is a challenge and every time states say we're going to blackmail you and hold up your stimulus package or your budget i think it was not the right view one step in the right direction but it's only if it's a trip normally i think it should be very clear state withdrawing european union should respect the rule of law so that also the reason why the article sound procedure is only regulated with a few sentences in the treaty take also recip rights it is on the basic one of the basis of article a few but not on article 50 out of $58.00 that only

a few census why because we thought it will never happen one state will leave european union that nation wide and near the east the rules are very cool or if you want the treaty so it was our duty it was our. challenge now to better not mechanisms for scenes which are not really understanding and when as in all is our understanding i get a problem in arguing to the. candidate states so if the states who want to join. do you worry you know because i tell them well if you want to join europe you know you have to respect democracy you have to respect the rule of law and the cetera et cetera so but also they have to respect the rule of law one e.u. official said after this latest you call it compromise i call it the climb down said the rule of law a mechanism is like the stability pact for the east it will never be enforced and

will only create political resentment on all sides that's the view of some people within the e.u. and what this mechanism does realize that walking and they have the right of that for this opinion but those who don't know what happened there isn't that the opinion is based on not up and they just look at what happened and really astonished that they judge other mechanisms which not just were we have now to reverse but i think that's really finally. to calm down a mechanism which will call null and let us not only nobody can really tell that it will not work then i don't see so well were let's see in the future and it will not be the case then i'm really sure there will be the pressure to alert to achieve it in the right sense so satisfy and once again then we got

this mechanism. and not let ourselves how it works well i would say then that you are easily satisfied with the creek because human rights organizations for instance human rights watch are far from satisfied they said last month the last weeks have shown that leaders who violate human rights have no shame in bullying and blackmailing the whole european union to shield themselves from any consequences for their actions you set a dangerous precedent here where are you allowed to take classes and i don't want to interrupt you but we have to be very carefully we are speaking up about a man state of the european. and everybody knows how important it is to the respect law for we are not talking about the state from another car in a little girl with adult full regime was at our school governance and so are so you know what you are talking you are talking about your kind of union states that disrespect the rule. we have to make

a difference we are not speeding up the state of central america. we are all human rights are violated every day mr. let me let me just make a point here let me just let me just like i'm going to let our european union that's not all. be cautious of her and then we have also 'd to really get the reaction last and i think it was part of a rare excess. presidency because it was not a hole in the neck and is most of it was also to come to a result in the local stations finances of your finances to create about the let me let me let me let me just raise an issue here you say you're not talking about african states you're talking about members of the european union you're talking about in the case of hungary at least a leader who effectively gave himself absolute power under cover of the pandemic who's been politicizing the courts who's decimated independent media who's been

chipping away at academic freedom these are not things they signed up to do when they joined the european union so unless there are mechanisms and so far no mechanisms have persuaded the leadership in hungary to change their course of policy things are going to change and to go back to my original question at the top of the interview what have you managed to do to ensure rights for those 10000000 hunger ariens who live according to the human rights organizations under or thora tarion rule in the middle of the european union you seem to find that acceptable they don't. well once again i think it is worthwhile to make a difference also in hungary we have a government 1st which is elected democratic. are. always criticized when we have not fair conditions for the media.

point it is not a case that no one can tell is free again and so that's my point were it say that it's necessary to make a difference and once again we want to have a different color i want that. each can chris and insult on an economy basic which is just surer and which will not be my lady by the state so i think it is not only black and only white still we have differences and yes i think to a point when we are adopted when european commission is still opinion that the treaty is our. then the duty of the commission to ask for a decision of the european car and this one of the london and hunger

a respected the decision of your us to prepare you talk about the european commission deciding whether a state is in line with its rule of law values or not look a bug area 14 years in the european union and still getting away with some of the worst practices of a communist era even though it's been under special monitoring by the e.u. how does that happen. well at 1st i don't share a lot pinioned and this was the commonest. time i talk i don't share really not becoming this time people suffered under the drug. companies risky and mother coming hysteria it was. violating human rights every day he noted macross you know of nothing well i criticise a case of parking area east of the system of law concerning.

to all cunt down and the cases of corruption we have cases which take 10 or 12 years in. true long. in acceptable and acceptable long time so there is has all something to do with the rule of law at. one point which i criticise very very not mr mr chris brown you have massive government corruption this according to independent n.g.o.s you have mafia capture you have democratic backsliding a politically manipulated and almost dysfunctional just system says them is that good so far that what how is that in any way in line to any degree with the pledges that bug area made 14 years ago and yet in 2019 a spokesman for the commission reported that bug area had made sufficient progress

to meet its commitments and accession to the e.u. that cannot be right can it so why this blind guy being turned towards bug area i visited by a carrier off and. buggy up yesterday integrated in the european union and also on the cross serious of the european union that makes a difference mr crean. found the ngos and various garda government seem to have seen more problems in bulgaria than the e.u. commission the 29000 human rights report from the us state department said officials in all branches of government in bulgaria reportedly engaged in corrupt practices with impunity bribery conflict of interest elaborate embezzlement schemes on top of that you have from the un committee against torture of finding that mental institutions are forcibly administering intrusive and irreversible psychiatric treatment on their patients and that torture has become commonplace in

that country how do those values fit in with the modern e.u. idea of what countries should be doing what they said they'd live up to and haven't . i know this totally right that it is not acceptable that we have circumstances like that mentioned once but. let me say it's perhaps not a complete picture of the area because sure things have to be developed in the right direction of the other. had to cheat in the us. and we are done by the area today cannot be compared with at times 203040 years ago so all these countries have to be developed and they have they are developing and service of this purpose we have a european commission which is serving the developments and sure that there is also

a lot of pressure from the european commission to the states and also from the other member states and independent foundations which we have also carry out like on a other in our. case also n.g.o.s they showed another picture but also they created they criticize a lot. especially in the fight against corruption there at the gate fund has the strong arm of the government and if the government is not able to. make for an especially progresses then it has to show consequences other european union yeah but then there are any consequences bugg area has had 14 years in the european union and it is still torturing people on a regular basis so clearly whatever measures the e.u. is applying aren't having the desired effect are they. i think that's not the right

. that that's not the right picture because people can live freely in no bug area and. we have to proceed and of this is the case but what i'm asking for is a more engaged fight against corruption and this is cannot be tolerated because corruption is violating the poorest of the poorest people whine because they cannot join to start full competition to pay for. things which we not only start it's not only it's not only to do with law or it isn't a state it starts also daily like in hospitals it's cool when 'd you know when their students want to get. a result we have this. daily let me say on the other hand i am

a corruption. till it will be we will have a result and. he stated. we cannot tolerate it we have to do more in the fight against corruption and this includes that proceeding in front of the coffee house to show results after a few years hence that's my point and this has to be shot at markets where you are remarkably complacent about it the commission is remarkably complacent about things like torture mafia capture and the manip political manipulation of the justice system let me turn to another subject for the time we have left babs it's worth the e.u. taking a good hard look at what's going on in america at the moment this is the unfolding story of a populist president staging an insurrection to try and prevent him being ousted in

a free and fair election how long before some of that starts to happen in the new and is the concern that this in washington should be a wake up call that it should listen to. well the 1st a remark that we are really lived for was not the presidency of mr biden because that's not what i asked that's not what i asked that lesser of the management because. the dialogue between the united states and europe in the stands and assaults on the respect of rule of law about prescious the distance of life in america like in europe. or share one point that in a former times it was standing there was common sense that democracy is our self understanding and strong and we have to start today that iraq receives

are coming more and more under pressure world wide and. as we had asserted. only balance so we have to fight for our own values we have to fight for democracy we have to fight for rule of law but once again if i touch it was british self understanding today it is not because this will be decisive our question our will if it generates and he is finally mr creep on let's come back to germany and there's a general election in september angela merkel is retiring and in a few days the c.d.u. your party will elect a new leader while none of the candidates to date seem to be generating much enthusiasm your most popular politician health minister young span isn't even on the ballot don't you want to win elections. and they're optimistic

because we have 3 candidates which are. very much of aged and i and i don't share in europe europe for electoral remar and there are. many and sure it will not be easy when i'm going to now that we're leaving because she was our chances are horribly very long period of time since 2005 and. that's also quite novel that everybody will him as own style but it's an open race and for me it's very difficult to predict who will write what will it will it one of the candidates friedrich mad says said that immigrants are to blame for rising welfare costs and unemployment in germany do you really want your party to go down that road putting immigrants in the firing line just to woo a few far right voters from the f.t.

hasn't there been enough resentment and hatred directed at immigrants another gun owners as not right where you want to mention it melts it should be the right sentences and this is that this is. not saying what he said it's not concerning the refugees what's the up with the well if you're in bosnia and herzegovina. it should not be the case that germany will go once again in front because now it's also in the responsibility of other european states to take care of her otherwise we'll create a whole effect so we will search in 20152008 is 16 this should not be a repeat it once so i think. we have also areas. i consider if you're for example

a lot of which are state and so it cannot be the solution that you draft usually come. to the european union are in the states we need a solution we need a solution in the european one arm because. i think once again all these states signed the declaration. that expiration or protect refugees but in a way germany did a lot in the past and this can be done down and one time not. going to create problem unfortunately we've run out of time we have to leave it there thanks very much for being on conflict. your.

goal. emigrants. the police was. that the road. they know their flight could be fatal. but. he's not an option. and are stuck

in the spanish border area. along side other young people there waiting for a chance that will probably never come. shattered dreams starts january 18th on t.w. . we're all set. to go beyond just. we're me. as we take on the world. these are stories that matter to you. about something. even true of people what ever it takes people already know. how much. you. know that w. . made for mines.

26 the budget the queen because i want to see a gemini with me the last few years have been quite o'brian. and learned from home but when it comes to. the iceberg perhaps the biggest the new all the time i'm going down the river and i love to be in the news that were present when you feed him the giving they're realizing just another way of living i knew ready to meet the 7 then voted me right just do it. nico germany to learn german. has been the. why not learn with him online on the mobile and free to sas t w e learning course because feet. down in your book you are now going on. the length of medical research. exposing and justice global news that matters to me things.

this is g w news while i'm from berlin tonight history in the making in the u.s. congress lawmakers are set to vote to impeach president donald trump a 2nd tom democrats and some senior republicans in the house of representatives are accusing trump of inciting a violent insurrection at the capitol last week the president is denying any responsibility also coming up tonight the largest mafia trial in more than 30 years begins in italy with more than 300 defended set to take the stand will speak to the informant risking his.