Qualified majority vote by states will be sufficient for removal of voting rights
Brussels will be able to block budget payments to rogue EU governments that undermine the rule of law, or the independence of judges, under a hard-fought agreement between the European parliament and the member states.
In what was described as the “end of a painful phase” for the EU, a provisional deal has been struck, which will allow a qualified majority of member states to impose sanctions where governments fail to maintain democratic standards.