The governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Italy are undermining the rule of law in a “consistent and intentional” manner, according to the annual report from the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). The report highlights that democratic standards are also deteriorating in six other member states, including historically strong democracies like France and Germany, while Latvia is praised as the only country showing positive change. The study warns that EU mechanisms for addressing this democratic recession remain largely ineffective.