00:00The rule of law has decreased in over two-thirds of EU countries in 2025,
00:06according to the Rule of Law Index published on Tuesday by the World Justice Project.
00:11The rule of law can be defined as a durable system of laws, institutions, norms and community commitments
00:18that delivers four universal principles, accountability, just law, open government and accessible and impartial justice.
00:26Out of the 27 EU member states, Bulgaria and Hungary were the ones with the lowest rule of law scores.
00:32On the opposite end of the spectrum, eight EU countries ranked among the top 10 globally in the Rule of Law Index,
00:39with Denmark retaining the first position worldwide.
00:42In 2025, Slovakia and Hungary saw the sharpest decline.
00:46All eight of the factors are declining for Hungary, so it really ranges from declines in constraints on government powers,
00:52absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, civil justice, criminal justice, regulatory enforcement and order and security.
01:02The largest increases were observed in Ireland and Poland.
01:05The global trend that we're seeing is declines in constraints on government powers, fundamental rights and open government.
01:11Ireland and Poland are both showing improvements in all of those factors.
01:16The decline in rule of law is being observed worldwide and not just in Europe.
01:20Justice systems in the majority of countries around the world have also been facing greater political interference.
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