The interim head of Romania’s anti-corruption agency has stepped down. Anca Jurma blamed a “hostile environment” for her resignation, announced on 8 January, just days after Romania assumed the EU Presidency. Jurma...

The EU Council Legal Service’s opinion that the Whistleblowing Directive should be divided into five separate legislative act has been met with criticism by a number of national governments. At a conference on the...

The UK Home Office decided to double the immigration health surcharge, a charge that migrants have to pay to access healthcare, to £400 a year. The Home Office said that the sum will bring much-needed funds for...

A former penicillin factory in Rome had been occupied by over 600 people, especially migrants and asylum seekers living in harsh conditions. However, they were forced to leave the factory without an alternative housing solution.

New migration figures show that Spain has become the primary gateway to Europe. According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), more than 56,000 migrants arrived in Spain by sea in 2018. This trend...

Italian mayors continue to protest against the refugee policy of Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. The Italian government passed a new immigration law on 28 November that makes it easier to expel migrants...

Austria's national Post Office is facing intense criticism for collecting and selling its customers' data. According to the investigative journalism website Addendum, the postal service sold the names, addresses, age...

Looking back at 2018, domestic violence against women was in focus, limits the media freedom were pushed, and the state moved to increase interference with our private lives. Public resistance helped to avaoid most negative consequences.

Love is priceless, but is it enough to sustain a democracy if an authoritarian comes to power?

CIVICUS Monitor update on Lithuania - January 2019