Hungary: Pro-government scare tactics to intimidate critical voices amid vaccination rollout Published: 3 March 2021 Commentary Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the government-sponsored disinformation engine is operating at full capacity in Hungary, scapegoating and intimidating critical voices and triggering death threats against academics and intellectuals. By Anna Frenyó
Digital Sovereignty - The EU in a Contest for Influence and Leadership Published: 15 February 2021 Commentary The concept of ‘digital sovereignty’ has become more prevalent over the last few years, although its meaning remains diffuse. Between Chinese techno-authoritarianism and the U.S. model of surveillance capitalism, Europe is heading towards a third way. By Zora Siebert
New rules for the digital social marketplace Published: 26 January 2021 Commentary Europe is about to get a new digital law. It will change the way Google, Facebook and Amazon do business. The mechanisms that allow them to make billions are polarising society. We need robust new rules to protect our democracy. By Alexandra Geese
Giving up has no future: Ten years and three stories of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings Published: 15 January 2021 Feature It’s a decade since democratic protests began in the Middle East and North Africa and still for many activists the fight against authoritarian regimes and in pursuit of dignity and political reform is far from over. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Three stories from Egypt, Syria and Tunisia illustrate how the revolutions in these countries are still a work in progress – in spite of violent repercussions and the all-round terrible toll they have taken. By Mohamed Amjahid and Diala Brisly
Aegean chronicles: A reporter’s confrontation with Europe’s failures and moral imperative Published: 7 January 2021 Background A 6-year-old boy from Afghanistan drowned in November 2020 off the coast of Samos. Ηe was with his father and other asylum seekers onboard a dinghy that was shipwrecked. The tragic loss of a child’s life hardly made an impression on the international media or public discourse in Greece. By Giorgos Christides
European Rule of Law in crisis – is it too late for the EU to save it? Published: 4 January 2021 Commentary MEP Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA) rates the new EU Rule of Law mechanism as a success despite all the criticism. For the first time, the disbursements of EU funds are linked to compliance with the Rule of Law, with the aim of combating corruption and illiberal attacks to democracy and fundamental values. By Daniel Freund
Individual liberties in Tunisia during Covid-19: the crisis has only reinforced an existing problem Published: 17 December 2020 Interview What are the challenges in Tunisia of deploying effective Covid-19 measures while remaining committed to the protection of individual rights and liberties for the whole period of the crisis? Mahassen Segni interviews Professor Wahid Ferchichi, founder of the Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties. By Mahassen Segni
Safeguarding the rule of law in the EU: “We need to put an uncomfortable truth into words” Published: 9 December 2020 Interview An interview with MEP Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA) on the protection of the rule of law in the EU, the European Commission’s proposals and the demands of the European Parliament. By Eva van de Rakt
Doing more harm than good? A critical assessment of the European Commission’s first Rule of Law Report Published: 4 December 2020 Expert commentary The new European Commission's Rule of Law Report cannot be expected to deter those deliberately seeking or already engaged in the systemic dismantlement of national checks and balances. Unless these shortcomings are remedied, the new yearly monitoring exercise will create more problems than it will solve. By Laurent Pech
Systemic breaches of the rule of law in Hungary: “My biggest fear is that the EU will give in” Published: 4 December 2020 Interview Interview with Benedek Jávor about the blackmailing attempt of Viktor Orbán and Mateusz Morawiecki, the importance of the rule of law in the EU and the responsibility of the German government. By Eva van de Rakt