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The Europe Conversation

We need to improve democracy, Lech Wałęsa says

Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Lech Wałęsa, calls for systemic changes to safeguard democracy and avoid the rise of populist leaders.

Hungary

Hungary's clampdown on Pride march sparks backlash

The Orbán administration has said that the country 'should not tolerate' the public event this year.

Europe News

Europe maintains fragile democratic stability amid global drop, study

Despite discrepancies between west and east, Europe's democratic health remains buoyant in the face of worldwide decline, according to a study released on Thursday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI).

Europe News

European Parliament's new democracy committee slammed as undemocratic

The election of liberal Nathalie Loiseau as chair, along with her vice-chairs, to the new European Democracy Shield committee sparked criticism from far-right and independent lawmakers, who condemned a “backroom deal” appointment.

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Guinea

Guinea protests erupt over missed democracy deadline

Demonstrations have resulted in one death and hundreds of arrests, intensifying tensions in the West African nation.

EuroVerify

How did misinformation, foreign influence shape the year of elections?

More people than ever before were called to the ballot boxes in 2024, as democracies worldwide raised their guard against information manipulation.

The Europe Conversation

'Shocking' levels of democratic backsliding across Europe - ex-Justice Commissioner Jourová

Outgoing Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourová told The Europe Conversation its “shocking” how some EU countries are replicating illiberal laws of others.

Health news

Corrupt dictatorships have fewer doctors, study finds

Countries with stronger democracies and lower levels of corruption tend to have a stronger physician workforce, the study found.

World News

Euroviews. Eastern Europe needs new defences against attacks on its democracies

From Warsaw to Tbilisi, ordinary citizens and forward-thinking leaders show that resilience is possible. If governments can muster the courage to support this democratic innovation, they may find that the best way to defend democracy is by empowering the people, Ieva Cesnulaityte writes.

China

Hong Kong jails 45 activists in largest national security case

A Hong Kong court has handed prison sentences to 45 democracy advocates in the city's largest trial under the 2020 national security law, with rights groups condemning the verdict.

USA

How much power does the US president actually have?

The US political system has been designed with guardrails against authoritarianism, but how powerful are these checks and balances?

Tunisia

Political crackdowns lead to low turnout in Tunisia's election

With major opponents imprisoned or left off the ballot, Tunisia's incumbent President Kais Saied faces few obstacles to winning re-election.

Greece

Athens Democracy Forum tackles global trust in institutions decline

At the Athens Democracy Forum, experts discussed solutions to declining trust in democracy, amidst global concerns over violence and political instability.

Europe News

European democracy is weakening, report warns

Traditionally stable European countries are seeing the rule of law deteriorate as voter turnout and democratic legitimacy decline worldwide, International IDEA said, highlighting concerns over France, the Netherlands and Spain.

Earth News

King Charles invited to join climate protest outside his castle

The Upgrade Democracy event aims to highlight the UK’s “broken system” and get the government to create a citizen’s assembly.

Economy

Power to the people - should Europeans choose where their taxes go?

As France tries to find its way through political gridlock, the outgoing PM Gabriel Attal is looking for policies with cross-party support. One idea is to give more power to taxpayers.

Europe News

Lawmakers claim pressure by China to not attend Taiwan conference

The conference, which begins on Monday, is being held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about how democracies deal with Beijing.

Europe News

Brussels berates Italy, Hungary and Slovakia for rule-of-law decline

The European Commission has released the new edition of its Rule of Law Report, showing persistent problems in press freedom.

Art

Athens exhibition marks 50 years since Greece’s return to democracy

The show, simply entitled 'Democracy', brings together works by over 50 artists in a poignant reflection on the pursuit of civil liberties – in a year when nearly half the world is heading to the polls.

Europe News

France's legislative runoff elections explained

Voters in France cast their ballots on Sunday in the second round of what's being tipped as crucial snap parliamentary elections that could produce the country's first far-right government since World War II.

Democracy