Europe's Democratic Foundations Face Unprecedented Threats
The fundamental principle of the rule of law is experiencing severe erosion across multiple European nations. Right-wing political movements are systematically employing parliamentary inquiries, legal entanglements, and aggressive policing strategies to undermine non-governmental organizations and suppress legitimate dissent. This coordinated assault represents a significant danger to democratic institutions that have long served as pillars of European stability.
Germany's Troubling Political Landscape
In Germany, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) filed an astonishing 295 parliamentary queries targeting left-leaning NGOs during the previous year alone. This represents more than double the number documented in 2024, according to research conducted by the progressive pressure group Campact. While parliamentary queries traditionally serve as legitimate democratic oversight mechanisms, campaigners argue that their deployment in such overwhelming numbers constitutes deliberate harassment and intimidation.
Pauline Voss, deputy editor of the rightwing media outlet Nius, has controversially claimed that progressive civil society groups in Germany are engaged in what she describes as a "coordinated campaign to act against their own population." Voss further contends that these organizations have transformed from serving as "a counterweight to the state" to functioning as "an extension of the state," thereby threatening what she calls "free democratic discourse."
Hungary's Authoritarian Blueprint
The situation in Hungary under Viktor Orbán's leadership demonstrates how rule of law degradation can become institutionalized within an EU member state. Orbán has systematically packed courts with loyal judges, transformed media into propaganda channels, and implemented repressive measures against NGOs. Organizations receiving even minimal foreign funding face blacklisting, while targeted tax audits, media smear campaigns, and legal traps effectively criminalize dissent. LGBTQ+ marches have been effectively banned through administrative measures.
According to the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), the rule of law depends not only on independent judiciary systems and free media, but equally on robust civil society checks and balances. Their 2026 rule of law report identified civil society space as the area of greatest concern across Europe.
Italy's Security Crackdown
Italy under Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition has implemented draconian security measures that significantly restrict protest rights. The government pushed through a comprehensive security bill via decree in April last year, bypassing normal political debate. This legislation introduced numerous new crimes affecting activists, minorities, and political opponents.
The bill's provisions criminalize various forms of peaceful protest and passive resistance, including road blockades by environmental campaigners. A subsequent security bill allows police to detain suspected "potential agitators" for up to twelve hours before protests even begin. The far-right Lega party has proposed additional legislation requiring demonstration organizers to provide financial deposits to cover potential damages.
France's Civic Space Contraction
More than thirty leading French NGOs, including Greenpeace and Oxfam, recently signed an open letter warning of "a dangerous restriction of civic space." These organizations report being routinely subjected to threats, surveillance, and defamation campaigns. The French government has employed "administrative dissolutions"—a measure originally designed to combat 1930s fascist leagues—against environmental activists and pro-Palestine groups.
Route restrictions, outright demonstration bans, police violence, and withdrawal of public subsidies collectively contribute to what signatories describe as "a worrying trend" toward the normalization of repression across Europe.
Poland's Civil Society Resilience
Poland's experience under eight years of nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government demonstrates the crucial importance of vibrant civil society organizations. Despite facing challenges including the war in Ukraine, rising far-right support, and a hostile presidential veto power, civil society groups continue to uphold democratic standards and sound alarms about rights violations.
As European nations witness what activists describe as "the normalisation of repression," where human rights defense becomes increasingly equated with extremism, civil society organizations across the continent are issuing a unified call to action. They urge citizens and democratic institutions to "raise our heads and resist, together" against this systematic erosion of fundamental freedoms and democratic principles.
