Knowledge is power. Your contribution counts.
By the end of May, the sun finally decided to show up — though the weather, especially in Berlin, was still holding on tight to winter's chill. Political developments around democracy in the EU seem just as unpredictable. One of the brighter spots: in Romania, the democratic candidate won the presidential election. In contrast, just before the elections in Hungary, Orbán appears to be trying to silence critical voices once and for all, including banning Pride, with another round of political shock therapy. On the upside, it looks like the German and French governments might finally be ready to draw a line when it comes to democractic dismantling — signaling support for the strongest possible sanctions to address systemic rule-of-law issues.
Whatever the temperature in June, we’re already getting our swimsuits (and new projects) ready: our annual report is coming out soon, along with a new messaging guide on women’s rights, and within days, a crash course on cybersecurity will be available on our Knowledge Hub for civil society organizations.
And regardless of the political showers let’s not forget — June is Pride Month celebrating the freedom of who we are and to love who we love.
Stay tuned — exciting weeks ahead!
Valentin & the Liberties Team
In Focus
350+ CSOs Call For Immediate Interim Measures Against Hungary’s “Transparency of Public Life” Bill
Liberties coordinated over 350 civil society organisations calling on the President of the European Commission to halt Viktor Orban’s latest attempt to silence media and civil society just ahead of the elections. Read the full letter.
Covert Influence in the Digital Age: How Platforms Must Step Up Under the DSA
Influencer marketing is the latest front for covert political messaging in the EU, finds our new policy paper.
In A Nutshell
- Liberties regranting program awards announced here: Strive 2025 Awarded Projects
- Liberties joins 100+ civil society organisations, academics, companies and other experts expressing concern about the proposals to reopen the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Learn more
New Talent
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In the news
- Journalists helped shape the EU — now it needs us more than ever (Op-ed in EUObserver)
- Study warns of covert online political manipulation (Netzpolitik, in German)
- Hungary’s Controversial Biometric Laws Shatter EU AI Act and Endanger LGBTQ+ Rights (CyberNews)
- In Berlin, Nakba Day Took Place Under the Threat of Violence (Jacobin)
- A new report on media freedom in Europe points to public media in Poland (Press, in Polish)
- Threatened journalists and media concentration: Europe slips on press freedom (La Notizia, in Italian)
Members' corner
Malta: New International Fact-checking Project Challenges Pervasive Narratives
In collaboration with CIReN in Cyprus, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, through its investigative platform, Amphora Media, has launched “Fatti”, a new fact-checking project which challenges Malta's most pervasive and misleading narratives. The first fact-check challenged the Maltese PM’s reaction to the ECJ judgement on the sale of golden passports, debunking his claims about the €1.4 billion revenue from the scheme supposedly created to benefit Maltese people and that the EU is singling out Malta for its golden passport scheme. The project is supported by the European Media and Information Fund.
Spain: Xnet wins the privacy battle for millions of freelancers
Based on a legal action coordinated by our member organisation in Spain, local Data Protection Office orders the mass deletion of self-employed lists from business databases. Read more here.
What we’re reading
- Three elections, one message: Europe’s Maga populists are on the rise (Financial Times)
- This article won’t change your mind. Here’s why (The Guardian)
- Russia bans Amnesty International as an 'undesirable organisation' (Sky News)
- Why we're suing Elon Musk's X for German election data (EUObserver)
- O'Flaherty: state of human rights in Europe 'worst in my professional life' (EUObserver)
- EU Commission defends NGO funding amid far-right attacks (EUObserver)
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