Balkan Insight

EU’s Rule of Law Report Risks Becoming Toothless, Says Liberties

Research shows emerging threats and rising concern over the failure to implement recommendations. "Liberties’ 2026 Rule of Law Gap Analysis, published on Monday, examines where the European Commission’s report falls short, assessing the implementation of country-specific recommendations while exploring its potential to prevent democratic decline and support the restoration of the rule of law."According to Liberties’ analysis, at least 96 per cent of the EU Commission’s recommendations have not been fully implemented, and 54 per cent show no or only limited progress."

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EUobserver

EU’s 2026 rule‑of‑law report doesn’t trigger real action, says human rights watchdog

“The Commission’s Rule of Law Report has the potential to be one of the EU’s strongest tools for preventing democratic backsliding,” said Kersty McCourt, Liberties’ rule of law expert.

The Guardian

Election voting advice from AI chatbots ‘inaccurate and unreliable’

Research during Hungary election shows AI recommended parties not running and gave highly volatile answers to identical prompts. “The results raise serious concerns about the reliability of general-purpose AI systems in electoral contexts,”the study, published by the civil liberties group Liberties and based on research during this year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections, concluded.

The Guardian

Media freedom ‘under sustained attack’ across EU as public trust drops, report finds

Journalists face rising threats while media ownership is concentrated in fewer hands, leading civil liberties group warns. The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said the findings of its fifth annual media freedom report, released on Tuesday, should place EU officials “on high alert”, with media freedom and pluralism “under sustained attack” across mainland Europe.

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France24

Decline in press freedom: EU media landscape more concentrated, less transparent & less trusted

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Eva Simon, Head of Tech & Rights Program at Liberties. Their report reveals a decline in media/press freedom across the EU. Drawing on data from 22 member states, she argues that the erosion of press freedom is part of a broader democratic decline.

Il Corriere Nazionale (Italian)

Opacity, political interference, and journalists at risk

Italy remains among the countries where media ownership lacks transparency, where the allocation of state advertising is problematic due to systematic political interference, and where journalists face some of the highest risks. This is revealed in the Media Freedom Report 2026, prepared by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) and published today.

The Irish Times

Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of law

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.

Balkan Insight

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The Guardian

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France24

Il Corriere Nazionale (Italian)

The Irish Times

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