Making Sure EU Laws Are Actually Followed

Why it matters

• EU law protects citizens, keeps the single market working, and gives the EU credibility.
• Member states must turn EU rules into national law, apply them correctly, and do so on time.
• The Parliament wants the Commission to keep a clear, yearly record of how well this is happening – a practice that has existed for more than 40 years.

Main complaints

• Missing 2024 report – the Commission did not publish its usual annual monitoring report.
• Too much focus on “simplification” – the 2025 overview talks mainly about making rules simpler, but the Parliament wants a balanced view that also looks at enforcement.
• Inadequate data – data on infringement cases (open, closed, started) is incomplete or hard to read.
• Slow implementation – on average, member states take almost 12 months longer than the deadline to transpose directives.
• Too many “delegated” rules – rules made by the Commission after the main rule is adopted make compliance harder.
• Limited use of AI and digital tools – the Parliament wants responsible, transparent use of technology, especially AI in decision‑making.

What the Parliament wants the Commission to do

1. Publish a yearly, country‑by‑country report on EU law application.
2. Make the data open, easy to read, and comparable across member states and policy areas.
3. Explain the methods used to collect and analyse the data.
4. Use “pre‑infringement” talks more often and give clear timelines.
5. Treat infringement cases transparently – publish criteria for pursuing cases, status of open cases, and outcomes.
6. Act on complaints from citizens, NGOs, and businesses by investigating and, if needed, starting infringement cases.
7. Strengthen enforcement of fundamental rights (child protection, media freedom, anti‑racism).
8. Improve the “Europa” platform so it shows explanations of why a case is open or closed.
9. Limit the use of delegated acts that add extra technical detail after the main rule is adopted.
10. Support member states with training, resources, and digital tools to implement EU law faster and more accurately.

Key numbers highlighted

• Closed infringement cases: 1 030 (2023), 535 (2024), 345 (Jan‑Jul 2025).
• Open infringement cases: 1 461 (2023), 1 493 (2024), 1 559 (Jan‑Jul 2025).
• New infringement cases: 528 (2023), 567 (2024).
• Average delay in transposing directives: 11.9 months (2023).
• Environmental implementation gap cost: €180 bn per year.
• RRF funds disbursed by end‑2023: ~33 %.

Sector‑specific concerns

• Trade – need clear application dates; delays hurt EU businesses and credibility.
• Employment – the minimum‑wage directive must be fully adopted; monitor partial transpositions.
• Environment – publish yearly dashboards for each country; non‑implementation costs €180 bn.
• Energy – many infringement cases arise from incomplete implementation; coordinate enforcement, monitoring, and support.
• Digital services – keep a dedicated unit to enforce the Digital Services Act and work with national coordinators.
• Agriculture – ensure CAP funds are used correctly and fraud is prevented.
• Media & culture – improve implementation and monitoring of the Media Freedom Act and Creative Europe programme.
• Internal market – guard against unfair practices that bypass EU rules, especially for creators and small businesses.
• Asylum & migration – report on rule application.
• Gender equality & youth – provide detailed data on the gender equality strategy, Accessibility Act, and youth strategy.

Bottom line
The Parliament is telling the Commission to keep the yearly monitoring report, make the data clear and comparable, act faster and more transparently when a member state fails to follow EU law—especially on fundamental rights—use technology responsibly, and support member states so they can implement EU law on time and correctly while holding them accountable when they do not.

Broader context

The EU has a well-established system where member states agree to follow common rules, but actually enforcing those rules is a separate challenge. The European Commission acts as the "guardian of the treaties" — it can take a member state to the Court of Justice of the EU through a process called an infringement procedure when that state fails to apply EU law properly.

This resolution is part of a decades-old oversight cycle: the Commission publishes an annual report, Parliament reviews it, and then tells the Commission what to improve. The fact that the Commission skipped its 2024 report is treated as a serious breach of this accountability tradition.

The mention of AI in decision-making reflects a newer concern: as the Commission increasingly uses automated tools to monitor compliance and process data, Parliament wants clear rules on how those tools work and who is responsible when they make mistakes.

Impact on people living in the EU

Most EU law affects daily life in concrete ways — consumer protections, workers' rights, clean air standards, and digital safety rules all come from EU directives that member states must turn into national law. When a country is 12 months late on average in doing this, citizens in that country are effectively denied rights that people in other EU countries already enjoy.

The push for open, country-by-country data would make it easier for any citizen to look up how their own government is performing — something that is currently difficult due to incomplete and hard-to-read Commission databases.