Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico at the start of an EU leaders' summit in Brussels last year. Photograph: EPAGovernments 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. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is seen after a speech during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest earlier this month. But after seven annual editions, Liberties’ findings highlight “not only backsliding, but also ongoing and deliberate efforts to undermine the rule of law. When that happens, McCourt added, the institutions “undermine the credibility of the EU and of its own rule of law reports”.

Source: The Irish Times March 30, 2026 09:23 UTC