In a new analysis, ECF, Liberties and the European Center for Not-for-profit Law assess the AI Act from a civic space and rule of perspective. The unaccountable and opaque use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially by public authorities, can undermine...
Protests banned on grounds of protecting ‘public order’ and ‘security’ Authorities have resorted to excessive force in multiple countries, including the use of pepper spray, kettling and the deployment of police dogs Palestinian flags and scarves also widely banned...
The European Civic Forum condemns the newly adopted Hungarian “defence of sovereignty bill”. The law arbitrarily targets any organisation or person it suspects of serving foreign interests and allegedly jeopardising Hungary’s sovereignty. It poses a major threat to...
On 8 December, the EU institutions reached a political agreement on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act in a trilogue negotiation between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The act follows a risk-based approach, which classifies artificial...
Despite widespread concerns expressed by the European Civic Forum and hundreds of civil society organisations (CSOs) in consultations, meetings and letters, the European Commission has proposed a foreign funding directive as part of its Defence of Democracy package....
The European Civic Forum is a network of more than one hundred associations across the continent. ECF defends the civic freedoms of association, assembly and demonstration. It is committed to the recognition of the essential role played by democratic civil society...
The result is in. Together, three opposition political forces have received a majority of elected representatives in both houses of Poland’s parliament.
In the opening words of her State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rightly pointed out the need for institutions to “[earn] the trust of Europeans to deal with their aspirations and anxieties.” However, what followed did not explain how to achieve that goal. Four years into this Commission’s term, the speech offered almost no policies to address underlying problems, instead asking merely for a bunch of reports on persistent and well-known issues.
(Please click here to read a French translation) On 5 July 2023, the European Commission published its fourth annual report reviewing the Rule of Law infrastructure and developments in 27 Member States in 2022. It assessed how recommendations from last year’s report...
The European Commission is set to publish its proposed Defence of Democracy package, following a short and limited Call for Evidence. In our response to the consultation, we made it clear that the package’s focus on ‘foreign interference’ risks damaging democracy, not...