Euroviews. In the EU, continued rule of law backsliding keeps weakening our democracies

Despite its importance to a free and democratic society, the rule of law situation is deteriorating across the EU. Even in countries with strong democratic traditions, 

We expect our leaders to listen to our opinions and follow the rules the same as everyone else. This is what the rule of law is all about, and it’s the foundation of our democracies.

But the combination of declining democratic standards and the prospect of far-right parties entering government in Europe threatens to weaken this democratic foundation, as we’re already witnessing. 

As Liberties’ Rule of Law Report 2024 details, rule of law violations were observed in all corners of the EU. It isn’t too late to reverse this trend, but the EU must act urgently before rule of law decay becomes permanent.

The report points to an overarching trend of governments shrugging off democratic oversight, posing varying degrees of threat to democracy in different countries.

In well-established democracies, such as Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, these typically amounted to violations that do not pose an existential threat to democracy. 

Authorities in these countries may consistently restrict or detain climate activists or abuse surveillance technology during protests, for example. But none of their governments resorted to rewriting laws or overtly violating the system of checks and balances.

In countries less resistant to democratic backsliding, such as Greece, the accumulation of persistent rule of law breaches across different areas risks snowballing into a systemic issue. 

And there is growing concern over Italy, where last year the situation deteriorated in nearly all areas, and only anti-corruption showed progress. If these countries continue down this path,