Here is the report (pdf).
During 2024, the newscycle mirrored democracy’s decline and the increasing political legitimacy of far-right parties and policies. “Instead of listening to the public, those in power increasingly act in their own interests and play by their own rules,” a report published by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), a watchdog that safeguards the human rights of everyone in the European Union, says.
The most comprehensive ‘shadow report’ by an independent civil liberties network, our 2025 report is compiled by 43 rights groups from 21 EU countries.
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The report found that the rule of law issues and democratic decline documented in the past years persisted.
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To illustrate the overarching direction democracy in Europe is going, we looked at five directions countries are headed.
In the first (and slimmest) group is Estonia and the Czech Republic, who made targeted efforts to improve the rule of law. Poland can also be considered here given the initiative shown by the new government to restore democratic standards, in particular judicial independence and media pluralism. Yet, the lack of tangible progress demonstrates the challenges of rebuilding rule of law institutions once they have been hollowed out.
Next we looked at countries showing degrees of decline, stagnation or growth, but whose overall performance was consistent. This includes countries with a generally strong rule of law record, such as Ireland and the Netherlands, which largely uphold the rule of law but have at-risk areas. Then there were middle performers like Spain, and weaker democracies like Greece and Malta.
Thirdly, we grouped countries traditionally considered democratic role models, but whose recent decline in performance is troubling. This includes Belgium, Germany and Sweden, with France giving particular cause for concern following their decline in four out of six categories. This trend is particularly worrying, as their bad example emboldens countries like Hungary and Slovakia, whose governments intentionally dismantle rule of law safeguards.
Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia were grouped together given their deliberate and systemic efforts to weaken the rule of law in all areas. This included widespread smear campaigns and multiple laws, policies and funding restrictions that seriously undermine the rule of law.
And finally, Hungary belongs in a category all on its own, where democratic standards have degraded to such a degree that it would not gain access to the EU today. The Hungarian government continues to implement laws challenged by the European Commission, engages in multiple campaigns against human rights organisations and undermines the EU from within.
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The exigency for strong EU-level leadership is greater than ever. Restoring public trust in EU institutions, fostering effective collaboration between Member States and ensuring respect for EU values relies on a robust rule of law.
Despite the overall downward trajectory, there are shoots of hope. Our report reveals that the buffer provided by civil society, free media, judicial bodies and independent courts is slowing down the pace of erosion. And while it is an upward battle, Poland shows a change in government can kickstart rule of law rehabilitation.