MEPs have approved a report warning of growing pressure on fundamental rights across the EU, citing concerns ranging from attacks on women’s rights and LGBTIQ+ equality to threats to media freedom and journalists’ safety.
The report, covering the situation in 2024 and 2025, was adopted on Wednesday by 328 votes in favour, 199 against and 98 abstentions, the Parliament announced on Wednesday night.
MEPs said the values set out in Article 2 of the EU treaty and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights must be upheld in all EU policies and fully enforced by member states.
They listed alleged problems including democratic backsliding, political interference in the judiciary, shrinking “civic space” — the ability of civil society groups and citizens to organise and speak freely — and threats to media freedom.
Borders, online platforms and surveillance
MEPs raised concerns that different national interpretations of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights have led to uneven application across the bloc, the European Parliament said.
They called on member states to ensure that the EU pact on migration and asylum is implemented in line with fundamental rights obligations and the principle of non-refoulement — a rule in international law that bans sending people back to places where they face serious harm.
The report condemned violations including ill-treatment of migrants and violence at the EU’s external borders, and called for coordinated search and rescue operations and swift disembarkation.
It also raised concerns about disinformation, foreign interference and election manipulation, and called for effective enforcement of the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, alongside stronger safeguards against spyware and unjustified surveillance.
On equality and social rights, MEPs called for stronger action against gender-based violence, hate crime and discrimination, including recognising feminicide as a distinct crime.
The report also cited concerns about legal and financial restrictions and intimidation faced by civil society organisations and human rights defenders, and called for sustainable EU funding and a rapid response mechanism for threatened organisations.
Anna Strolenberg, the Parliament’s rapporteur on the report, said: “Across Europe, fundamental rights for all vulnerable groups are under pressure, while at the same time, those who defend human rights are being silenced or even criminalised.”
