Croatia Among EU Countries “Consistently & Deliberately” Undermining Rule of Law

March the 30th, 2026 – Croatia is sadly on the list of five EU countries allegedly “consistently and deliberately undermining the rule of law.”

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, governments in five EU Member States are allegedly “consistently and deliberately” undermining the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned. Democratic standards are deteriorating in six other EU countries, N1 reports.

croatia the “dismantler”

Citing evidence from over 40 NGOs across 22 countries, the European Union for Civil Liberties (Liberties) described the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia as “dismantlers” who are actively undermining the rule of law, The Guardian reported.

The 2026 report states that the rule of law in Slovakia, under the populist, authoritarian and pro-Russian government of Robert Fico, has regressed in all areas – the judiciary, the fight against corruption, media freedom and control of civil society. The picture is similarly bleak in Bulgaria, while Hungary, where Viktor Orbán has been in power for sixteen years now, “remains in a separate category of its own” with regressive laws and policies revealing no signs of modifying.

attacks on journalists and media suppression

Liberties found that rule of law conditions deteriorated most in 2025 in the democratic pillar of checks and balances, where NGOs and civil society should be able to challenge decisions and hold governments to account. Regressive legislation and harsh penalties for participating in protests are becoming more common, including in Hungary, where Pride events have been banned and organisers, including the mayor of Budapest, are currently under formal investigation.

In Italy, a tough security decree was adopted that criminalises roadblocks and other forms of dissent, but strengthens the powers of the police. In several countries, protesters advocating for climate and for the freedom of Palestine have faced bans and criminalisation.

the legal and institutional situation

There has been no progress in the justice pillar; Liberties warns of critical and hostile political discourse towards the judiciary and human rights institutions. Little progress is visible in the fight against corruption, while media freedom has only improved in some countries. Attacks on journalists have increased in Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia. It’s worth noting that Croatia has become infamous for its extremely poor justice system and pointless lawsuits intfinished to do nothing but shut the media up.

Strong democracies such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden are labelled as “sliders”, where the rule of law is declining in some areas, but the erosion is not systematic. Countries such as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain are classified as “stagnant”, with no significant alters in the rule of law. Poland has revealn limited progress, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk tries to restore an indepfinishent judiciary that was compromised by the former PiS Government.

Only Latvia deserves the status of “hard worker”, actively improving rule of law standards.

criticism of european union institutions and instruments

The report criticises EU institutions, stateing that in 2025 they reflected existing problems and failed to consistently apply and deffinish fundamental rights.

Liberties warns that repeating recommfinishations without follow-up does not stop continued efforts to undermine the rule of law, further eroding the EU’s credibility.