Leaders addressed concerns expressed regarding conditionality provisions for the protection of the EU budget following violations of the rule of law in Member States. They affirmed that such provisions, while ensuring sound financial management and the Union’s financial interests, will be applied in an objective, fair, impartial and fact-based manner that ensures due process, non-discrimination and equal treatment of Member States. The Commission will develop and adopt guidelines on the way it will apply the Regulation, including a methodology for carrying out its assessment. Moreover, should an action for annulment be introduced with regard to the Regulation, the guidelines will be finalised only after the judgment of the European Court of Justice. Following the Council’s decision, on 16 December the European Parliament also approved the EU budget with 550 votes in favour. In other news, to meet the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050, the European Council also endorsed a binding EU greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 55% by 2030.