Welcome to Liberties' monthly round-up, where we catch you up on the most pressing human rights topics we've been working on. In this month’s edition, we delivered our summer school training for LGBTQI+ campaigns in Hungary, announced the winners of our CERV STRIVE 2024 grants, and reflected on the fall-out of the EU elections.
The dust hasn’t quite settled on the European Parliament elections, as parties are still deciding which political groups to ally with, while negotiations are underway to see if von der Leyen can count on the 361-seat Parliamentary majority she needs to keep her job as Commission president. While there are sighs of relief that the much-feared conservative wipe-out didn’t come to pass, others are slower to celebrate the undeniable gains made by populist right-wing and far right-wing parties.
Commentators predict that Orbán’s newly created ‘Patriots for Europe’ will cannibalise the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) as Le Pen’s party is in talks to jump ship. Meanwhile, Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group survived the re-shuffle to emerge as the Parliament’s fourth-biggest faction. This means centrist and left-wing groups will have no choice but to adjust to the new political constellation and cooperate with the conservative powerhouses.
To add salt to the wound, the EU’s most controversial member state has taken the helm of the Council of the European Union. Setting the tone of Hungary’s 6-month presidency, Orbán has revamped Donald Trump’s infamous slogan by promising to “Make Europe Great Again” (or MEGA for short). Hungarian diplomats have promised to play nice, but unsurprisingly the term has already gotten off to a rocky start as news emerged that Orbán flew to Moscow and is planning to meet with Vladimir Putin. EU insiders will be relieved that the next few months will be a transition phase for the Union post-election, putting the brakes on Hungary’s ability to make any drastic changes. Whatever happens, it promises to be a hot summer in Brussels!
In a nutshell
EMFA weak on transparency of media ownership: Liberties’ Tech & Rights Lead Eva Simon contributed to an assessment of the European Media Freedom Act’s impact on journalists. Read it here.
In focus
What Is An Illiberal Democracy? How Is It Created?
The terms democratic backsliding and illiberal democracy are thrown around in the media. But what does this terminology mean in our current political landscape? In our latest educational article, we explain its meaning using European examples.
Short on time? Watch a one-minute video summary.
Summer School On LGBTQI+ Campaigns In Hungary
Liberties organised its second summer university, the Campaign Accelerator, in partnership with Amnesty International Netherlands helping participants develop campaign plans to improve the lives of Hungary’s LGBTQI+ community. Read more.
Member's corner
Fighting for a Future World Where Human Rights Are Respected
Meet Martynas Jockus, Director of the Human Rights Monitoring Institute. Using storytelling as a form of activism, he hopes to shake up Lithuania's monocultural society and create a new future where diversity is celebrated. Read the full article.
How Did A Mathematics Philosopher End Up Fighting for Prisoners' Rights?
Meet Susanna Marietti, a former philosophy professor before defending prisoners' rights in Italy. A jack of all trades, her role as national coordinator of Antigone includes TV appearances, hosting a radio show and writing a children's book. Read the full interview here.
CERV STRIVE 2024 - Awarded Projects
Liberties is happy to announce the member organisations and projects awarded re-grants under the CERV STRIVE 2024 project. Congratulations to all the winners! Read about the winning projects on our website.
In the news
/ Voice of America: Russia sustains influence operation to undermine integrity of European elections
EU Observer: Euronews, Orbán, Fico — media freedom is in peril across the EU
International Bar Association: Rule of law: ‘grassroots support for democratic values’ needed alongside EU action
NRC: ‘Press freedom under pressure, especially in Central and Eastern Europe’ (Dutch)
What we're reading
- Elections:
- Digital Rights: The People vs Misogyny - People vs Big Tech
Next month
EU Commission's 2024 Rule of Law Report: In the coming weeks, the European Commission will release it's long-awaited annual Rule of Law Report. Once we get our hands on it, Liberties' rule of law experts will roll up their sleeves, pull out a red pen, and get reading. In the coming months, we'll publish our Rule of Law Gap analysis where we highlight the gaps between our shadow report published earlier this year and the Commission's report. You can read last year's gap analysis here.
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Take care,
Eleanor & the Liberties Team
