Exclusive: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia actively pursue regressive policies, watchdog finds
Governments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies.
Drawing on evidence from more than 40 NGOs in 22 countries, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) described the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia as “dismantlers” that were actively weakening the rule of law.
The group’s 2026 report, released on Monday, said the rule of law had regressed in all areas – justice, anti-corruption, media freedom and civil society checks and balances – in Slovakia under the populist, authoritarian, pro-Moscow government of Robert Fico.
The picture was similarly bleak in Bulgaria, while Hungary, where Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power could end after elections on 12 April, “remains in a category of its own, continuing to pursue ever more regressive laws and policies with no sign of change”.
