For the seventh consecutive year, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the European Union (EU) have given insights into their national rule of law landscapes. This year they looked back at 2025. Collated in ENNHRI’s new rule of law report, these show both positive developments and negative trends across key areas such as the enabling space of NHRIs, civil society space, disinformation, and law-making processes. Drawing on these insights, the report provides key recommendations to state authorities and European actors.

NHRIs continue to fulfil their mandates amid growing challenges

NHRIs continued to engage actively through their broad and multiple mandates, advocating for stronger rule of law and human rights protection. While the number of EU countries with accredited NHRIs remained stable in 2025, the majority of NHRIs across the EU reported facing challenges affecting the environment in which they operate. These include a lack of adequate funding and resources, follow-up by state authorities to NHRI recommendations, and access to information by NHRIs. Some NHRIs also reported attacks and misinformation campaigns targeting the institutions, their management, and their staff.

NHRIs reported further deterioration of civil society space in several EU Member States, identifying persistent challenges affecting civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders (HRDs). CSOs and HRDs face verbal and physical attacks, criminalisation of their work by state actors, inadequate funding, and an overall rise in negative narratives concerning them and their work.

Democracy under pressure amid widespread disinformation and shortcomings in law-making processes

This year’s report features a chapter highlighting two trends affecting democratic processes: disinformation and issues related to policy and law-making processes. Disinformation continued to undermine democratic systems, public trust and the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms. Its multi-faceted nature makes it a highly complex issue for NHRIs to tackle, and its adverse effects are felt at many levels, both online and offline. Efforts by NHRIs to fight disinformation have included awareness-raising activities to relevant actors and the public and providing guidance to authorities on policy and legislative measures around disinformation.

On law-making processes, the report identifies recurring shortcomings across Member States. Among them are limited stakeholder participation, insufficient human rights impact assessments, lack of transparency, and increasing use of fast-track legislative procedures. In response, NHRIs have advised relevant actors – including parliamentarians – about  the harmful effects of short consultation windows and the need for thorough and adequately paced law-making processes, including through the use of human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) of draft laws, where NHRIs have taken an active role.

Issues related to media freedom and journalists, justice systems, checks and balances, and migration and asylum policies also feature prominently.

Recommendations to strengthen rule of law protections

Based on the findings of the NHRIs, the report provides recommendations to EU institutions and Member States.

ENNHRI recommends EU Member States and European actors to:

• Strengthen the enabling environment for NHRIs and civil society actors by providing adequate support and funding to effectively carry out their work, and by ensuring sufficient safeguards to protect them from threats, attacks and interferences.
• Take action to increase transparency and accountability by countering disinformation in line with human rights standards, and ensuring transparent, inclusive and rights-compliant legislative processes.

Furthermore, ENNHRI recommends European actors to:

• Continue strengthening support for NHRIs across the EU, including through clearer guidance on their role in implementing EU law and create avenues for their meaningful engagement in EU processes.
• Pursue a comprehensive approach in close collaboration with NHRIs to tackle key challenges to democracy and civil society, including through initiatives such as the European Democracy Shield and the EU Civil Society Strategy.
• Set a positive example in law-making processes, including by confining the use of Omnibus law-making to necessary and duly justified instances.

Current and upcoming reports and more information

Use ENNHRI’s dedicated online tool to explore the latest EU report. Read the individual country reports for a closer look at national developments and challenges across the EU.

Later this year, ENNHRI will release its dedicated report on EU enlargement countries and its regional report presenting findings from its members across Europe.

Learn more on ENNHRI’s work on democracy and the rule of law.