These trends are particularly concerning as human rights defenders (HRDs) and CSOs are the ones who call out human rights abuses, stand up against powerful actors who do harm and protect our most fundamental rights. They are essential to our democracies, yet every day they face attacks–whether verbal, physical, legal or financial– rapidly threatening the existence of a vibrant civic space across the Union.

When HRDs are threatened while doing their job, it weakens their ability to address violations of rights, ensure accountability, and preserve democratic principles - leading to an increasingly restricted civic space.

While Europe has the lowest number of public policies to protect HRDs, it is notable that the operating landscape of CSOs and activists shrunk considerably over the last years. Similarly to other aspects of the rule of law, the recent European elections resulted in a space where politicians are emboldened to undermine civic space in Europe.

Interlocking threats that threaten to destabilise civil society

The pattern of attacks can be looked at under several distinct angles that interlock to amplify and reinforce the overall threat.

Smear campaigns and media attacks: For many organisations, attacks begin as smear campaigns and disinformation circulated by the media, aiming to discredit and undermine the legitimacy of CSOs. In Slovakia and Slovenia, the ruling parties used the media as their mouthpiece to portray CSOs as bad actors, at the root of society’s issues who act against government interests. Similarly, in Ireland, several politicians initiated campaigns to defund NGOs, labeling their operations a waste of money. The guests and moderators of a Romanian TV program argued, without evidence, that CSOs are controlled by foreign agents and denounced their opaque funding.

Legal and policy restrictions: Once the media waves are poisoned against CSOs, the smear campaigns are leveraged to build support for legal and policy restrictions. Our report documented many cases of restrictions on the right to peaceful protest, especially Palestine solidarity and environmental demonstrations. These restrictions took the form of security and public safety legislation. For example, in Italy, the Senate is currently discussing a draft bill on administrative and criminal sanctions for activists involved in roadblocks. Similarly in the Netherlands, bans on protest signs were imposed during demonstrations alongside the criminalisation of individuals attending the protests. Activists from Extension Rebellion were arrested before the start of the demonstration and disproportionate fines were imposed on climate activists.

Restrictions on access to funding: The political pressure on CSOs also resulted in deliberate funding restrictions, severely impairing their activities. The new Dutch government introduced a new plan to reduce the tax benefits for individuals and companies donating to NGOs. In Germany and Ireland, the financial uncertainty of CSOs–especially the ones working on sensitive political topics– who face similar restrictions have self-censored their activities to guarantee access to public funding. The introduction of complex and arbitrary eligibility requirements for state funding in Lithuania and France has further impaired CSOs’ operations.

Verbal and physical attacks: Finally, the negative rhetoric against CSOs and the restrictive operative landscape are reinforced by an increase in verbal and physical attacks towards. Targeted directly against their persons or against their families and properties, these attacks are encouraged by the criminalisation of activists in the political discourse, especially those defending the environment and the rights of minorities. In January 2024, a well-known Romanian activist was taken into a police station for questioning after a post she made on Facebook. A year later, in January 2025, 13 activists from eight countries attending an NGO workshop were brought in for questioning by the Serbian authorities, held overnight and eventually deported. Serbia justified this action based on 'security reasons', but European CSOs condemned it as an attempt to intimidate activists. In Cyprus, the office of the anti-racism organisation KISA was bombed following a number of unsanctioned threats and verbal attacks against the volunteers.

The combination of these attacks and the lack of protective framework severely threatens Europe’s civic space. Smear campaigns pave the ground for restrictive legislation and embolden actors to carry out physical, verbal and legal attacks against CSOs without repercussions.

Gaps in Europe’s legal framework protecting HRDs

A recent paper by Liberties and a coalition of CSOs highlights the important gaps of the legal framework protecting HRDs. The protection framework’s main deficiencies are the absence of effective reporting mechanisms in case of attacks and limited access to legal aid. As a result, only 55% of attacks are reported.

The paper examines how this gap can be closed and what is needed for a comprehensive ecosystem to protect HRDs and CSOs. Adopting national and regional laws that protect HRDs and address the diversity and severity of attacks is imperative. At the European level, establishing an efficient system for HRDs to report attacks along with a thorough and rapid investigation process would better ensure their safety and protection alongside a mechanism that can disburse rapid response grants to ensure holistic protection support.

Trend Analyses

• EU Overview: Democratic Race to The Bottom But Some Shoots of Hope
• Caged In: How The Growing Politicisation of Public Service Media and The Repression of Journalists Threaten Media Freedom in Europe
• The Cost of Corruption: How Weak Oversight Enables Wrongdoing in Europe
• States Shun Human Rights Law, Further Marginalise the Vulnerable
• Governments Cut Corners to Avoid Accountability, Steamrolling Checks and Balances

Reads & Resources

• Download the full Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025
• Op-ed: The EU Should Reinforce Democracy's Guardrails Before it's Too Late
• Previous annual rule of law reports: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020