The EU's new rule of law report - pushing at an open door?

For years, the message from the European Commission to human rights defenders concerned about the systematic dismantling of the rule of law and democracy in their country was literally "don't knock on the wrong door."

Well-intentioned official guidance reinforced a discouraging view that the powers of the EU were limited and constrained in the face of determined efforts by governments to hobble a free press, rig the judiciary and sil...