EU Watchdog Identifies Five Governments Actively Dismantling Democratic Standards
Europe's leading civil liberties organisation has issued a stark warning, identifying five European Union member state governments that are "consistently and intentionally" eroding the rule of law. The comprehensive 2026 report from the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) categorises the administrations in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia as deliberate "dismantlers" of democratic institutions.
Systematic Regression Across Multiple Nations
Drawing on evidence from more than 40 non-governmental organisations across 22 countries, the 800-page analysis reveals a troubling pattern of democratic backsliding. The report documents regression in all critical areas including judicial independence, anti-corruption frameworks, media freedom, and civil society oversight mechanisms.
In Slovakia, the populist government led by Robert Fico has significantly weakened rule of law protections across every measured sector. The situation appears similarly concerning in Bulgaria, while Hungary under Viktor Orbán's lengthy administration "remains in a category of its own", continuing to implement increasingly regressive legislation without indication of policy reversal.
Democratic Strongholds Showing Signs of Erosion
Perhaps more alarmingly, the report identifies six additional nations where democratic standards are deteriorating, including several countries with historically robust democratic traditions. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and Sweden are classified as "sliders" – nations where rule of law is declining in specific areas, though not as part of a comprehensive political strategy.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain fall into the "stagnator" category, showing neither improvement nor significant deterioration in rule-of-law conditions. Poland's limited progress in restoring judicial independence dismantled by the previous government demonstrates "how challenging and fragile it can be to restore compromised institutional independence".
Ineffective EU Response Mechanisms
The report delivers particularly harsh criticism of European Union institutions, noting that their mechanisms for addressing rule of law erosion have proven largely ineffective. An analysis of European Commission recommendations reveals that 93% of all suggestions in the 2025 rule of law report were repeats from previous years, with many carried forward without any change in wording.
Out of 100 commission recommendations assessed by Liberties, 61 showed zero progress while 13 demonstrated actual deterioration. "Repeating recommendations without meaningful follow-up will not reverse this trend," warned Ilina Neshikj, Liberties' executive director, highlighting what the organisation describes as "ongoing and deliberate efforts to undermine the rule of law" across multiple member states.
Specific Areas of Concern
The report identifies several particularly troubling developments:
- Democratic Checks and Balances: This pillar showed the most significant deterioration in 2025, with independent NGOs and civil society organisations facing increasing restrictions on their ability to organise, challenge decisions, and hold governments accountable.
- Justice Systems: The report highlights "an emerging trend of increasingly critical or hostile political discourse towards the judiciary and human rights institutions" across multiple nations.
- Media Freedom: Only a small number of states demonstrated measurable improvements, while attacks on journalists increased notably in Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and especially Slovakia.
- Protest Rights: Regressive legislation imposing strong penalties for attending banned protests has expanded, with Hungary banning Pride events and Italy adopting restrictive security measures criminalising various forms of dissent.
Kersty McCourt, Liberties' senior advocacy adviser, noted that EU institutions themselves have contributed to the problem by "normalising the use of exceptional, fast-track lawmaking, rolling back key fundamental rights protections, and leading a concerted campaign against watchdog organisations".
The report concludes that only Latvia merits "hard worker" status for actively improving rule-of-law standards, while the broader European landscape shows concerning signs of democratic deterioration that existing mechanisms appear ill-equipped to address effectively.
