Representatives of the European Commission and member states discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the judiciary and exchanged information on the measures taken by individual governments.
"The representatives of the Member States agreed that any extraordinary measures taken should be in line with the fundamental values of the Union," Croatia's presidency said on its web site.
Last Monday, Hungary adopted a law on a state of emergency which enables Prime Minister Viktor Orban to govern freely by decree without any time limit.
The law introduces drastic prison sentences for anyone considered to be disturbing the implementation of measures to curb the spread of the virus or spreading false information about the pandemic.
Without directly mentioning Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Tuesday underscored that "it is of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values as set out in the treaties."
On Wednesday 13 EU countries issued a joint statement calling for coronavirus emergency measures to be time-limited, proportionate and under regular supervision.
The statement was signed by 13 EU member states - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.