Democracy

Since the Law and Justice (PiS)-led government began restructuring Poland’s judiciary in 2015, legal certainty has steadily declined. Now, the Codification Committee has put forward two proposals to restore the rule of law in Poland: one advocating for a swift, decisive approach, while the other follows a slower, more gradual path. Both have sparked a controversial debate about how to restore the rule of law.

In the face of increasingly shrinking space for freedom of speech and tightening repressions against independent media in Azerbaijan, the only way for them to continue their activity is immigration and working in exile. But to do this means adapting to an entirely new reality, frightening and complex. 

Elections were held in over 70 countries in 2024, with over half the global population going to the polls. This report assesses the outcomes of these elections and offers reflections on what the impact of the ‘election super-year’ is likely to be on key policy issues and on the deeper systemic state of democracy.

Poland takes on the EU Council Presidency in January 2025. What does this role mean, and what challenges lie ahead? Our latest article explores the key context and what to expect during this pivotal six-month period.

Violence against women is particularly alarming, as one in three women have been subjected to physical or sexual violence. In this article, lawyer Aikaterini Georgiadou provides an unparalleled critical review of the legislative framework for gender-based violence in Greece. She examines the provisions of the Istanbul Convention and the severe concerns reflected in GREVIO's evaluation report about the implementation of the Convention in Greece. Furthermore, she focuses in particular on the newly adopted EU Directive on combating violence against women, which Member States are obliged to transpose into their national law within three years.

Migration and asylum have been at the top of the agenda in the EU for some time now. Thereby, the discussion is less about solving problems or addressing the suffering of people on the move, but more about preventing people from reaching European soil. This is neither good for the people seeking refuge in our continent, nor beneficial to the political debate on these issues.

On 23 June 2024, Chancellor Scholz will receive Argentinian president Javier Milei with military honours. Not only do Milei’s reform plans accept the dismantling of democracy and the rule of law, they will also deindustrialise Argentina. This does not correspond to Germany's interests.

These days it is easy to become pessimistic about social cohesion and the state of democracy. But the results of the recent Polish elections show that it pays to fight for democracy.