Values and virus: European Commission tells EU states emergency coronavirus laws ‘cannot flout democracy’

The European Union’s executive warned member states on Tuesday that emergency measures adopted to fight the coronavirus crisis cannot undercut democracy.

“It is of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. “Democracy cannot work without free and independent media.”

Any emergency measures “must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate,” she said, adding that “they must not last indefinitely.”

Governments must make sure that such measures are subject to regular scrutiny, von der Leyen warned after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban secured the indefinite right to rule by decree, Reuters said.