Closing a nail-bitingly close election season, Donald Trump has all but sailed to a resounding victory that sees Republicans take control of the House and the Senate. If Trump’s last presidency is anything to go by (not to mention the post-presidency capitol riots, his criminal conviction and a string of criminal indictments), the US’s fragile democracy is in for another stress test.
As Liberties knows well from our annual rule of law reporting cycle, a democracy is only as strong as the rule of law institutions that uphold it. To prevent an authoritarian system from taking root, the system of checks and balances must be strongly enforced. If the US is to survive another Trump presidency, everyone from journalists, judges and civil servants to citizens and activists will have their part to play.
And why all the interest in US elections here in Europe? From the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the risk of trade wars erupting, to his promise to wash America’s hands of its role in providing other countries with military protection, Trump’s second presidency will certainly be felt by Europe.
Donald Trump’s first presidential victory was infamously boosted by targeted advertising. Politicians in Europe are already following suit, an issue Liberties is investigating as part of our EU Elections Monitoring Project. In the coming month, we’ll be releasing our findings.
Meanwhile, in Brussels, the confirmation hearings for prospective Commissioners got underway on Monday. Several weeks have passed since the updated portfolios were announced and throughout the week would-be Commissioners will stand before the EU Parliament to prove they’re up for the job. Michael McGrath, as the new Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law, has been given the thumbs up. We congratulate him on his appointment and look forward to working closely together to strengthen the rule of law and protect civil society organisations across the board.
In a nutshell
- All things tech: Liberties’ Tech & Rights Lead Eva Simon and Senior Advocacy Officer Orsolya Reich took part in the Tech and Society Summit hosted by EDRi & others.
- Strength in numbers: Liberties is one of 15 organisations that joined CDT Europe’s new civil society alliance to combat spyware abuse across the EU & beyond. As the first order of business, a letter was sent urging Members of the European Parliament to address alarming developments on spyware use in Slovakia & Greece.
In Focus
European Commission’s Rule of Law Report 2024: Gap Analysis
Liberties has published our findings highlighting the discrepancies and weaknesses in the Commission's rule of law report. Our takeaway: little more than a monitoring exercise, but this could change if the next Commissioner uses tools at their disposal. Read it here.
In the news
“The European Commission’s exhaustive annual audit of democratic standards across the bloc is overly positive and ultimately ineffective because it is not tied to any kind of enforcement mechanism, a leading European civil liberties network has said.”
European audit of democracy standards too positive, says human rights watchdog - The Guardian
Op-Ed - The rule of law report is toothless — and member states know it - EUobserver
Realising Protection For Human Rights Defenders And Civil Society Organisations In Europe: Mapping & Recommendations
Liberties and a coalition of civil society organisations have come together to map existing tools and based on gaps to propose ways to build a stronger ecosystem for the protection of human rights defenders. Learn more.
Together, we are stronger
By supporting Liberties, you make it possible for our team of human rights defenders and campaigners to respond quickly when our liberties come under threat.
Your help makes all the difference
Our human rights are most vulnerable when no one is paying attention. As an independent watchdog, Liberties makes lots of noise when our human rights come under attack. But we can’t do it alone - it is only thanks to your support that our work is possible. Help make our voice stronger by donating today. Every contribution counts.
HRMI’s Martynas Jockus Joins Liberties As Board Member
The General Assembly of the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) has approved the appointment of Martynas Jockus, Director of Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI), Lithuania, as a new board member with immediate effect. Read more.
EU-Watchdog Liberties Joined By Three New Member Organisations
Latvian Centre for Human Rights, Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation and Xnet join Liberties’ network of human rights defenders. Read more.
Member’s Corner
Meet Our Members | Movement Lawyering isn’t Always About Winning Cases
Meet Jelle Klaas and Laura Wennekes from PILP, a Dutch human rights law firm where winning isn't the main goal. Read the full interview.
Network news
- Privacy boost: Following a case taken by GFF, Liberties’ German member org, the German Federal Constitutional Court found that individual powers under the BKA Act, which empowers the Federal Criminal Police of Germany, to collect and store data are partially unconstitutional. The law must be updated by July 2025.
- Award winner: VIA IURIS, Liberties’ Slovakian member, was awarded the prize for a foreign non-profit organisation by German legal publisher JUVE for its systematic efforts to defend the basic principles of the rule of law in Slovakia.
- 11 years since Lampedusa shipwreck: In October, CILD, Liberties’ Italy member, marked the 11th anniversary of the Lampedusa shipwreck by hosting an event, ‘Conference on European Sea Rescue State of the Art’ and presented to the public the recently formed coalition SCUDI, an innovative initiative aimed at strengthening the protection of migrants’ human rights in Italy.
What we’re reading
- Elections: It doesn't matter if Trump or Harris win. Europe has already lost - Politico
- Rule of Law: Rule of Law Crisis in Parliamentary Law-Making: Potential Domestic and European Remedies- EU Law Live Weekend Edition (Written by Liberties’ Rule of Law Report Editor Viktor Kazai)
- EU: The EU Commission has blinked first in the face of Orbán's sovereignty law - EUobserver
Next Month
- Elections monitoring. We’ll be releasing our country papers, as well as more interviews, as part of our EU elections monitoring project. This cross-organisational initiative, covering Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Spain, Poland and Germany, investigates how targeted political advertising may impact democratic discourse, potentially leading to information silos and polarisation. Learn more here.
- New messaging guides. In April, Liberties kicked off our collaborative EU-funded ACCESS project, which aims to boost civil space across Europe. As the facilitator, Liberties is working alongside four of our member organisations (🇮🇹 CILD, 🇭🇺 HCLU, 🇸🇪 Civil Rights Defenders, 🇭🇷 CMS) to support them in building an effective national campaign. In November, we’ll be publishing our first batch of learning materials for NGOs and activists who want to hone their messaging skills. Stay tuned.
- E-learning on strategic Comms. Interested in strategic communications? Don’t worry, we’ll get you covered with our brand new e-learning crashcourse on Knowledge Hub.
- Democracy Drinks Berlin is back on 21st November. Register here.
- Wahlheymat Talks on 7. November 5:30pm, ZLB AGB PopUp Saal
- What are the main human rights challenges facing the European Union today?
- How can civil society organizations hold national governments and EU institutions accountable on human rights issues?
- What is the relationship between human rights and democracy, particularly in terms of inclusivity?
- Are voting rights fundamental human rights? How can we promote equal voting rights for all European citizens?
- How can civil society organizations collaborate effectively within the EU? Are NGOs better at cooperation than governments?
- Burning thoughts? We want to know what you think about this newsletter. Please share your feedback and responses to newsletter@liberties.eu or fill in our which takes two minutes to fill out.
Events
Title: Human Rights, the European Union, and Democracy
Join Wahlheymat for an insightful discussion on the pressing human rights issues within the European Union. Joined by Liberties’s executive director, Balázs Dénes, the event will explore critical questions, including:
Enjoyed Liberties' monthly recap?
Take care,
Eleanor & the Liberties Team
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