358In the second place, as regards the alleged circumvention of the powers of the EU institutions to examine observance of the principles of the rule of law by the Member States, it must be stated that the EU legislature in no way conferred on the Council and the Commission an unlimited right to assess, in the light of political considerations, observance of the principles of the rule of law or to link any identified breach of those principles, in a general manner, to the principle of sound financial management of Union funds. It made the initiation of the procedure subject to all the criteria set out in paragraph 288 above, which, as has been pointed out in paragraphs 112 to 189 and 200 to 203 above, ensure that the assessments of those institutions fall within the scope of EU law and are of a legal rather than political nature.
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