Report to the Storting on Democracy, Human Rights, Security and the Rule of Law in Europe

'The pressure on democracy and human rights is greater than we have seen in a long time. This is also the case in Europe. Although the vast majority of the countries on our continent are democracies, almost half of the democracies in Europe are experiencing a decline. This is very concerning', said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Democracy and human rights are increasingly under pressure globally, including in Europe, where democratic values are being challenged from within and without. The undermining of democracies is contrary to Norway's core interests: preserving peace and security in Europe, as well as maintaining the European community of values, which has been central to the defense of a peaceful and secure Europe since the Second World War.

In addition to the cooperation between states, the report will also discuss the role of parliamentarians in the CoE and the OSCE, and the contributions of civil society.

For 75 years, the CoE has been at the forefront of promoting human rights, the rule of law and democracy. The organization has 46 member countries after Russia was excluded in 2022. The European Convention on Human Rights ensures fundamental rights for all citizens, who can submit their cases to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. At the 2023 summit in Reykjavik, the Council of Europe decided to strengthen its work on securing democracy in Europe. This week, Norway was elected vice-president of the committee leading this work.

The OSCE, of which all the countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America are members, is an important platform for dialogue and cooperation for the promotion of security, human rights and democracy. The OSCE has 57 participating states, and 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Declaration, signed by 35 states in Europe and North America. The Helsinki Declaration forms the basis for Security Cooperation among the OSCE member states.

The report to the Parliament will discuss key topics, including:

• Democracy as a prerequisite for European peace and security

• Internal and external threats to European democracies, and how best to meet them

• The importance of EEA funds for supporting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe

• Challenges of artificial intelligence and digitization and possible negative impacts on democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe

• Cyber defense, hybrid threats, disinformation and misinformation
• Anti-corruption and good governance

The report is to be presented in the spring of 2025.