The purpose of this article is to describe the function of the European Commission as „guardian of the treaties” and, more specifcally, as guardian of the values of the European Union. This function has gained value and interest, especially in recent years, through the proceedings against the governments of
Hungary and Poland. The Commission already has several different tools in place for the enforcement of the values of the European Union by the Member States. In this article, we will describe the two most common methods of operation of the Commission in this matter, their advantages and disadvantages.
Typical institutions are the so-called infringements under Art. 258-260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the procedure under Art. 7 of the Treaty on European Union. The role of the Commission is not decisive in all of the above-mentioned procedures, but it is present in all of them. The
competences of the Commission on the basis of existing institutions will be presented, as well as de lege ferenda postulates regarding changes that, according to the author, should take place.