Authoritarians in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia abused the COVID-19 pandemic to further erode democratic standards, but even traditionally strong democracies saw undemocratic flashes.

Democracy and the rule of law have regressed across a large number of European countries in 2020, according to a new, wide-ranging report involving 14 national members across the EU of the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties).

Authoritarians in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia abused the pandemic to continue eroding democratic standards, but traditionally strong democracies also disappoint.

On 6th December 2020, legislative elections were held in Romania. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (PSD) won with 30 percent of the votes, followed by the National Liberal Party (PNL), centre-right, which obtained 25 percent.

On 27th January 2021, Lithuania’s government extended its lockdown until 28th February 2021.

Biometric mass surveillance means authorities, companies, unknown third parties know who you are, where you go, what you do, even how you feel. You can now have a say to ban this.

While the EU continues to stay silent about digital vaccine passports, widespread debate around the topic gathers pace.

The Belgian League of Human Rights, a Liberties member, is challenging a ministerial order that allows the large-scale collection and processing of the health data of workers, breaching their fundamental rights.

Liberties has been awarded a grant that enables examination of the threats posed by the contact tracing apps and their efficacy, allowing governments to respond to future public health challenges in a more transparent and privacy-respecting manner.

Belgian government adopted new decree in secrecy giving social security services access to sensitive health data of citizens. The Belgian League of Human Rights filed an appeal.