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May 8th was the last day of the Orban regime, much to the jubilation of Hungarians. Magyar is already making efforts to mend fences with the EU in the hopes of unblocking frozen funds. But with one populist ousted, another populist has re-entered the scene. Janez Janša (also known as the Prince of Darkness) has returned to power as Prime Minister of Slovenia, spelling bad news for Brussels and democracy. What’s that famous Job quote from the Bible? "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away".

Even with Orban relegated to the margins, his influence is still being felt in Europe. Orban-wannabe Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, has caused alarm over recent reforms undermining the rule of law, leading to calls to trigger the rule-of-law mechanism and free Slovakia’s EU funding. In Romania, judges spoke out about a toxic working environment stemming from high-level justice system corruption.

Meanwhile, as Pride month kicks off, there is cause for celebration as history was made on 14th May when Poland officially registered its first same-sex marriage certificate. The move comes after the CJEU ruled in November that Member States cannot refuse to recognise same-sex marriage legally concluded in other EU countries. The struggle faced by queer couples to enjoy the same rights as straight couples (same-sex marriage is still not legal in Poland and faces pushback from conservatives) highlights why the month-long celebration of queer pride exists.

Events

Summit “Fight for Us, not for Them”: A public interest vision for EU tech policy - Tuesday 23rd June

Liberties teams up with EDRi and 11 other NGOs to convene strategically on the EU’s digital deregulation agenda. Will you join us?

As EU digital policy faces growing pressure from deregulation and “simplification” agendas, civil society experts, lawmakers, regulators, and journalists are coming together on 23 June in Brussels and online to make the case for a bold public-interest vision of technology policy: one that protects people, communities, democracy, and our fundamental rights.

• When: Tuesday 23 June 2026, 2pm-6pm CET
• Register now to join us in online

We are pleased to announce that Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director of IT for Change, Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament who co-led negotiations on the AI Act, and Diana Vlad-Calcic, Team Leader for Regulatory Simplification at the European Commission (DG CONNECT), will be joining us as speakers. The event will be moderated by author and journalist Dave Keating, who has covered EU politics for over 20 years, and will conclude with a speech and interactive Q&A from Professor Shoshana Zuboff, thought leader and author of ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’.

To learn more about this event and the possibility of attending in person in Brussels, please visit EDRi’s website. 

In Focus

Data Protection, SLAPPs, and Economic Journalism: Liberties’ Network Intervenes in Hungarian Case Before the European Court of Human Rights

Liberties submitted a joint third-party intervention to the European Court of Human Rights in Mediarey Hungary Services Zrt. v. Hungary, concerning the relationship between data protection, privacy, access to information and freedom of expression. Learn more.

Digital Omnibus Moves Forward, Trampling Fundamental Rights

Developments around the EU’s two digital omnibuses confirm long-held fears that lawmakers are ready to weaken safeguards in order to grease the wheels for Big Tech. Get the full story.

Safe AI For Patients: Building Accountability in Digital Healthcare

A new project launched by the Liberties network aims to bring transparency, accountability and better practices to the use of personal data in the development and deployment of clinical AI systems. Read more.

Member's Corner

• Open Malta: Amphora Media, a news outlet created by our Maltese member The Daphne Foundation, has launched Open Malta, a free public platform bringing Malta’s political finance data into one searchable database for journalists, researchers and citizens. The platform includes data on social media spending by politicians, MPs’ asset declarations, party donations from 2016 to 2025, campaign expenses, and direct orders — government contracts awarded without competition. Launched as Malta’s 2026 electoral campaign began, Open Malta has already fed into the debate on public procurement.
• EU’s lost control of Big Tech: Dr. Johnny Ryan of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, our Irish member, sat down with the EU Observer to explain why Ireland is to blame - and why Ireland should recuse itself from regulating Big Tech when it takes over the Irish presidency next month. Read the interview here.
• EU Day Against Impunity: The Global Initiative Against Impunity (GIAI), including Civil Rights Defenders, our Swedish member, called on the European Union and its Member States to strengthen their commitment to accountability for the gravest international crimes and to stand firmly with survivors and affected communities. Read the full statement below.
• Bulgaria Needs to Restore Fundamental Guarantees: Our member the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee has recently published its Annual Report, ‘Human Rights in Bulgaria in 2025’, which outlines a year marked by deepening institutional instability, erosion of the rule of law, and increasing pressure on civic space. The overall picture is one of formally functioning democratic procedures that fail to deliver genuine accountability, justice, and protection of rights. Read the summary here.

Reading

Gaza flotilla activists allege abuse by Israeli forces while detained - BBC

How EU policies are providing cover for member states to target NGOs - EU Observer

‘It’s toxic’: Romania reeling over claims of high-level justice system corruption - The Guardian

Europe’s business advantage: Rule of law - Politico

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