The Civil Liberties Union for Europe network of organisations has recently reported that Europe’s democratic recession has deepened in 2024. Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria have been identified as countries that are “deliberately undermining the rule of law in almost every aspect.” Meanwhile, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament, Romana Tomc, warns that this is a group of far-left non-governmental organisations whose main goal is to bring down right-wing governments.
A report by a network of organisations monitoring the human rights situation in the European Union, which was also reported on by the MMC web portal of the national media outlet of Slovenia, highlights weak prosecution of corruption. The report also shows, they say, the susceptibility of judicial systems to political manipulation, increasing restrictions on peaceful protests, the excessive use of fast-track legislation and harassment of journalists.
The report was compiled by several human rights organisations
The report, compiled by 43 human rights organisations from 21 EU Member States, warns that the European Union risks continuing the trend of democratic erosion in the absence of decisive action.
In 2019, the Liberties Network published its first report on the rule of law in the European Union. The network’s spokesperson, Viktor Kazai, stated that all six reports show “an alarming persistence of rule of law violations across the European Union.” The Union has done too little to reverse the trend, he pointed out. The situation is particularly worrying, he said, where measures are being taken to undermine the rule of law.
In regards to our neighbouring Croatia, the appointment of Ivan Turudić to the position of public prosecutor has been highlighted as problematic, as he is said to have “close links with the ruling HDZ party.” This, in the network’s view, undermines the integrity of the judicial system. In Slovakia, the actions of the current government have come under fire. The abolition of the Central Prosecutor’s Office and the law on foreign agents, which designates those NGOs that would receive 5,000 euros from abroad as foreign-backed organisations, were highlighted as particularly problematic measures.
Concerning Italy, the organisation took issue with the government’s proposal to give the Ministry of Justice authority over the prosecutor. This, they point out, would increase political control over the judiciary, and they also note that “there has never been such a high level of interference in the public media” in our western neighbour before. Anti-corruption investigations against prominent political opponents of the government have been highlighted as problematic in Bulgaria. On the other hand, they say, it is also possible to see how the trend of long-lasting fraud is continuing. Regarding Romania, the report highlights the victory of an ultra-nationalist candidate in the presidential elections – as they say, thanks to TikTok – and also mentions the delay in adopting a law that would guarantee the independence of public television and radio.
The problems, they say, are not confined to the five EU Member States in question
The Liberties Network says there are also problems in other EU Member States, including Hungary, where it says it saw a “significant regression” in the rule of law in 2024. The creation of the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty is seen as problematic due to its powers, which are said to increase “pressure on NGOs and the media”.
France was also criticised for “the increasing use of the possibility of adopting legislation without a vote, as well as the increasing restriction of freedom of expression.” In the case of Germany, their reactions to the pro-Palestinian events were highlighted. They consider these to be excessive and disproportionate. They also criticised the fact that former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who was supposed to appear as a guest at the pro-Palestinian event, was refused entry to the country. The report on Poland states that the coalition there is committed to “restoring the independence of the judiciary and media pluralism”, but that it is in conflict with President Andrzej Duda.
The European Commission has been called upon by the Liberties Network to strengthen its monitoring of the rule of law in the Union. Accordingly, they believe it should even make European funding conditional. They would also like to see legal action stepped up in the event of breaches of the rule of law.
We decided to ask Member of the European Parliament Romana Tomc to comment on the report, particularly in the light of its authorship. You can read her comment below:
“The Liberties Network is, as it says on their website, “a European network of NGOs, defenders of human rights and freedoms”. It is, therefore, a group of far-left NGOs funded by international organisations and associations, including the Peace Institute (Mirovni inštitut) from Slovenia – which is also funded by the infamous Soros Institute – which have taken it upon themselves to accuse Member States of violating the rule of law and human rights.
Who are these organisations, and why is this news worthy of being published on the front page of our largest public media outlet? Along with manipulative photographs of the European Commission.
This is in no way an official institution of the European Union. The European Commission regularly monitors the situation in the area of the rule of law – in fact, it does so every year, as it prepares a report and also requests action from the Member States.
The European Union should, perhaps also following the example of the United States, abolish funding for NGOs that are politically motivated and do not disclose their funding. In Slovenia, too, we have quite a few left-wing NGOs that are financed from abroad. Their main goal is to overthrow right-wing governments and governments that adopt measures that are not to the left’s liking.”
Ž. N.
