2 Authors: Ivan Despotović, political freedom analyst Dušan Gamser, rule of law analyst Mihailo Gajić, economic freedom analyst Freedom Barometer Europe Publisher: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Regional Office FNF East and Southeast Europe Tsar Kaloyan 8, 1 000 Sofia, Bulgaria 00 359 2 969 60 10 [email protected] http://esee.fnst.org Copyright © 2019 by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. 3 CONTENTS Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Trends in 2019 Freedom Barometer Edition ........................................................................................................... 7 In focus - Special Reports in 2019 Freedom Barometer Edition ....................................................................... 14 Ranking of the countries in 2019 Freedom Barometer Edition .......................................................................... 30 Albania .......................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Armenia ......................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Azerbaijan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Bosnia and Herzegovina ............................................................................................................................................. 52 Bulgaria.......................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Croatia ........................................................................................................................................................................... 66 Georgia .......................................................................................................................................................................... 73 Greece ........................................................................................................................................................................... 79 North Macedonia ........................................................................................................................................................ 85 Moldova ........................................................................................................................................................................ 92 Romania ........................................................................................................................................................................ 98 Russian Federation .................................................................................................................................................... 104 Serbia ........................................................................................................................................................................... 110 Turkey ......................................................................................................................................................................... 117 Ukraine ........................................................................................................................................................................ 122 Methodology of Freedom Barometer: Measuring Freedom .............................................................................. 129 About the Authors .................................................................................................................................................... 133 4 FOREWORD Dear reader, The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is dedicated to promoting freedom and open societies worldwide. The current political climate in most parts of Europe imparts a widespread perception as one of democratic decline. Some unsuccessful and failed democratic transitions in the region have resulted in the focus shifting slightly from building liberal democracy to capacity building of an efficient state apparatus. In many of the countries in the region, the work of freedom fighters and liberals has become not about deepening democracy but preventing it from sliding back into a semi-authoritarian and illiberal mode. During the last year, the progress to more freedom was rather slow if any. In fact, media freedom has deteriorated quite significantly in many of the countries. Freedom of expression and media freedom is and has always been regarded as principle and basic value and right in the region. However, journalists are still exposed to serious threats and constraints (the murder of journalists in Malta and Slovakia, the verbal and physical attacks in Serbia and Montenegro, the harassment by state-owned media in Poland). The modern context is one of intensified confrontation between ideas and concepts relevant to the advancement and the protection of our freedoms and responsibilities and reality of violations of human rights and deteriorating democratic governance. For this reason, it is of high importance to have good measurements and assessment tools for the debate. The success or failure of certain measure and policies can only be evaluated if the efficiency of certain indicators related to it are constantly being observed and measured. Since 2013, the FNF Freedom Barometer shows how non-action of politics and civil society alike might confirm stagnation, might lead to the erosion of democratic standards (such as in Hungary and Poland) or to further alienation between the citizen and the state. Thirty scrutinized countries ranging from Belgium to Tajikistan may give you a mosaic of successful approaches and failures in old and new democracies. By bringing together information, data and indicators from existing, well-respected sources, the Freedom Barometer Index explores the economic and political freedom, as well as the rule of law and comparing them in different countries and societies. In that regard, we do not intend to reinvent the wheel but to recombine them in such a way that they reflect our liberal values. The Freedom Barometer reflects the views we have of desirable institutions and organizations that preserve our fundamental freedoms. The main purpose of the Index is to lay the foundation for conversation and debate, thereby contributing to the promotion of freedom. I am very proud to present to you our newest edition and, as with previous issues, hope you enjoy foraging through the material of Freedom Barometer 2019. Dr Rainer Adam Head of the Regional Office for East and Southeast Europe Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom 5 6 TRENDS IN 2019 FREEDOM BAROMETER EDITION A. POLITICAL FREEDOM: In decline Negative developments in the Political Freedom section of the Freedom Barometer 2019 Europe Edition continued to shape political landscape of majority of the countries covered, marking yet another year of democratic decline. Support to autocratic and undemocratic tendencies in societies, populist rhetoric, manipulation of public opinion and crackdown on independent institutions or even media, were all trends that had a huge impact on deterioration of democracy. Electoral process is rather an uneven political playground aiming to serve ruling parties than a means to protect, strengthen and foster democracy. Free and Fair Elections indicator declined in 7 out of 15 countries, while it improved only in 2. Undermining the system of checks and balances and controlling democratic institutions outside of positions of power goes hand in hand with autocratic tendencies, themselves present in majority of the countries covered by this Index. While media outlets - if fulfilling their proper role of informal control tool over government and institutions - are perceived as ―enemies of the state‖. Otherwise, they serve as state propaganda mouthpiece and tool of control of the public opinion. Few positive changes were reserved for the countries which previously went through serious democratic decline, most notably for Armenia – a country which had a democratic transition of power and engaged into electoral-system transformation with intention to strengthen democracy - and to some minor extent for North Macedonia – which successfully managed a change of name and has currently been facing much calmer and stable political period. Elections - Neither free nor fair Despite being granted by constitution in all of the countries covered by the Freedom Barometer 2019, freedom and fairness of elections are rarely upheld in practice. Undermining thereof takes various forms, depending of a level of democratic development and current political tendencies in a particular society. In more democratically developed countries, such as Croatia or Romania, it mostly came in the form of unfair media coverage, abuse of state office and resources, or unclear/non-transparent funding of political parties. While, in the least democratically developed countries, such as Russia, Turkey or Azerbaijan,