About: Democracy
Opposition-led Hungarian capital holds democracy conference in sign of defiance
As Hungarian opposition parties are preparing to elect a single challenger to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Budapest's green mayor, one of the prime ministerial hopefuls, is holding a conference on sustainable democracy together with an exiled liberal university and opposition think tank.
America may be ‘back’ at G7, but allies’ doubts about US democracy linger
After the tumultuous years for the transatlantic relationship under Donald Trump, Joe Biden's promise that "America is back" as he meets Western allies are a welcome relief. But they're not enough, diplomats and foreign policy experts say.
Hungary may see takeovers of last free media, experts warn
Recent reports have confirmed the negative trend for media freedom in Hungary but also pointed to Budapest's negative impact on press freedom in neighbouring countries. On World Press Freedom Day (3 May), EURACTIV talked to two of the main experts on Hungarian media.
Democracy ‘loses currency’ in Europe, warns Freedom House
In its latest report published on Wednesday (28 April) the NGO Freedom House warns of an "antidemocratic turn" throughout Europe, “fuelling a deterioration in human freedom with global implications”.
Vietnam jails journalists, EU says it prefers ‘dialogue’ to sanctions
EU was hesitant on Wednesday (6 January) to resort to trade sanctions following the announcement of heavy sentences of journalists in Vietnam, a latest development in the communist country’s crackdown on dissent. Three journalists, members of the Independent Journalists’ Association...
After a Decade of EU Pragmatism, It Is Time to Talk About Democracy Again
During the crisis-ridden last decade, the EU has stumbled into a new intergovernmentalism presented as an apparently pragmatic problem-solving approach. But side-lining the European Parliament is not just a problem for the EU’s legitimacy, but also results in negotiation deadlocks...OpinionPromoted content
We must protect our civic space so that we can keep our human rights
From health to employment to education, Covid-19 has brought additional challenges regarding access to and enjoyment of human rights. As December 10, International Human Rights Day, draws closer, it’s time to reflect on the state of civic space in Europe,...
Report: EU governments disproportionately restricted rights during pandemic
More than half of EU countries failed to safeguard people’s right to peaceful assembly during the pandemic, peaceful protests were violently disrupted by police, and tight restrictions on fundamental rights remained in place even after social distancing measures were scaled back for businesses, a new report by civil rights watchdogs found.
A time bomb at the heart of the US presidential elections
Beware of US elections, which may end up with the world’s most powerful nation bogged down in a constitutional crisis, writes Dick Roche. Dick Roche is a former European Affairs minister of Ireland. On 3 November US voters will elect...
Make or break for the ‘pro-Belarusian revolution’
In these difficult times for liberal democracy, the EU has to ensure its credibility more decisively than ever, writes Darya Mustafayeva.
Tens of thousands rally in Belarus against post-vote crackdown
Tens of thousands of Belarusians staged a wave of peaceful protests on Thursday (13 August) against President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown.
GMF President: ‘The coronavirus is accelerating many trends that were there before’
Nationalist reactions to the spread of the coronavirus have further worsened already strained transatlantic relations. But GMF President Karen Donfried believes that the pandemic will underline the importance of cooperation. An interview from EURACTIV Germany.
Cosmocracy: European political parties at the forefront of global governance evolution?
The increasing failure of multilateralism to provide global solutions to global problems is alarming. Could the European political parties play a role in strengthening international rule-making? European political families have been the drivers of European integration for the past 60...
Michael Ignatieff: Hungary will not be a single-party state forever
The democratic transition is not over in Central and Eastern Europe and we will continue our mission of training people and creating "free minds, people who think", Michael Ignatieff, a Canadian academic and president of the Central European University, told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Cooperation of four key Commissioners needed for healthy media, democracy
Democracy is at risk and requires healthy media, several portfolios from the new EU Commission are relevant. After years of fake news and weak self-regulation, this ecosystem could be rebalanced if four key Commissioners cooperate around the media sector, argues Christophe Leclercq.
‘New generation of disinformation’ awaits next Commission, says rights group
Disinformation campaigns are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are developing almost unregulated, according to civil rights activists who say the European Commission's relying on the self-regulation of social media platforms is no longer enough.
The EU now needs a fully-fledged #EUCitizenCommissioner
We should never forget that democracy is not just about voting: citizens also want their voices heard between elections, write Roger Casale and Verena Ringler.
Georgian government dismisses pro-Russia bias claims
A leading opposition politician has accused the Georgian government of pro-Russian bias, tacitly condoned by the EU, but representatives of the ruling party, as well as diplomats, insist there is a consensus on big geopolitical matters and the entire country is pro-Western.
Voting record of the far-right in EU Parliament contradicts rhetoric – report
The voting record of 11 far-right parties in the European Parliament demonstrates their affinities with the interests of large corporations and financial institutions, rather than the interests of people they claim to defend. EURACTIV France reports.
Re-run of Istanbul election: same candidates, different strategies
Istanbul is getting ready for a re-run of the mayoral election that has laid bare Turkey’s deep political divisions and raised concerns about its democracy. People are canceling vacations, and holiday resorts published spoofs about heavy snows expected on 23 June.
9 May 2019 and our hour of responsibility
In the face of populism, and in the run-up to the EU elections, European leaders need to explain to the citizens the many good things the European Union has achieved collectively, writes Dimitris Avramopoulos.
How to rectify Georgia’s statehood
It is a well-known Georgian secret, that the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili runs the country’s affairs through his “Georgian dream” political party, police and judiciary and even some other political parties and most of the mass media, writes Nino Burjanadze.
Georgia remembers its 9 April
On 9 April 1989, Soviet tanks rolled into Tbilisi, and Georgians realised Gorbachev’s regime was just as steeped in blood as that of his predecessors. Thirty years on, Georgia remembers its heroes, writes Natalie Sabanadze.