European democracy is weakening, report warns

Democratic elections are diving in quality across the world, including in Europe, according to the Global State of Democracy 2024 Report, published today (17 September) by International IDEA.

The report analyses election quality, turnout and the reception of the results, and whether results are taken seriously or lead to protests, in an unusually busy year that’s seen 3 billion people go to the polls.

Sam van der Staak, director of International IDEA’s Europe Programme, described the findings as “disturbing”, in remarks to Euronews. 

Voter numbers have fallen about 10% over fifteen years, and in around one fifth of elections the loser has not accepted the result, he said.  

The decline has occurred despite many innovations around the world aimed at making electoral processes more accessible, such as lowering the voting age in Cyprus and Lithuania.

While Europe shows better results than other regions, International IDEA warns that some of the ingredients of a healthy democracy, including civil liberties and access to justice, are under threat.

Europe’s rule of law has seen a noted declined over five years, found the report, which examined 221 national elections held in 159 countries between May 2020 and April 2024. 

“In some European countries, the executive powers are putting pressure on the courts, stacking them with people that support them,” said van der Staak, highlighting pressure on democracy in Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

“I expect that in the next couple of years, more attention will focus on this rule of law since it’s one of the biggest weaknesses of democracy in Europe.”

Many European countries are lagging on freedom of expression and the press, the report said, noting Greece’s struggles with academic freedom and attempts by governments in Italy and Slovakia to pressure the media.

France is also flagged given concerns over people being excluded from political processes depending on economic factors, such as discrimination based on wealth.

Closing the gap

The report also suggests the gap between eastern, central and western European is closing.

“That’s the good news, because Europe is coming together more and more and you don’t see the traditional divide that we saw of the old and the new [democracies],” said van der Staak.

International IDEA, an intergovernmental organisation that supports democracy worldwide, suggests it’s the prospect of joining the EU that helps some laggard countries to catch up.

Albania, Kosovo and Moldova have progressed in offering access to justice, economic equality and freedom of expression, in the aftermath of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the report said.  

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Ukraine has also brought in a transparent and merit-based selection for its Constitutional Court and resumed disciplinary proceedings against judges, it added.