This update covers developments relating to the freedoms of expression and association in Liechtenstein from 25th February 2025 until 15th January 2026.
GENERAL
More efforts against corruption and for access to information are recommended
On 27th May 2025, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) published a new report assessing Liechtenstein’s framework to prevent corruption among persons with top executive functions and the police.
GRECO recommends that the Information Act be subject to an independent and thorough analysis, as there are still legislative and practical shortcomings. It also reiterated its concern regarding the Prince’s powers to block or discontinue criminal proceedings in respect of persons with top executive functions suspected of having committed corruption related offences. According to the monitoring body, these powers are a potential threat to the independence and impartiality of the criminal justice system.
EXPRESSION
Initiatives try to compensate for thinning media landscape
The Liechtenstein media landscape has undergone profound changes in recent years. In 2023, the newspaper «Liechtensteiner Volksblatt» appeared for the last time. A previous update documented the choice of Liechtenstein voters to end state funding for the country’s single public radio broadcaster, Radio Liechtenstein. In April 2025, the public radio station ceased operations. Various initiatives try to compensate for this impoverished media landscape.
On 1st March 2025, new regulation on media funding entered into force. The new provisions regulate in particular the details of start-up financing and the definition of media employee. The start-up financing instrument is intended to support young media companies on their way to fulfilling the requirements for receiving media subsidies. The definition of media employee is being expanded to include editors and graphic designers who support the journalism and editorial roles.
On 12th March, the website of the daily newspaper started to offer a radio service, called Radio Vaterland. The programme is AI controlled.
In October 2025, the Association for Media and Diversity of Opinion in the Country based in Eschen started publishing a free monthly publication called «Der Stammtisch». The free publication is to be published at the beginning of each month.
In October 2025, the Foundation “Zukunft.li” produced a report called “Journalism in the small state", listing 16 possible funding models for the future. Media Minister Hubert Büchel reacted positively to the study.
Democracies, especially direct or semi-direct democracies such as Switzerland and Liechtenstein, cannot function without a free media. The media is necessary so that citizens can form their own opinions about people and, above all, about issues as independently as possible.
- Zukunft.li Foundation
In December 2025, the University of Liechtenstein launched its first edition of a newspaper called “Denkraum”.
In February 2026, a new online medium called «Lie24» will start operations with a team of five, thanks to start-up financing by the country. It is an offshoot of a Swiss portal. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Economy and Sport confirmed that the government would support the initiative with one-time start-up financing of 150’000 Swiss francs (about 188,155 USD) on the basis of the Media Promotion Act, with which startup media companies receive one-time start-up financing under certain conditions.
Discriminatory or misogynistic headlines are still a feature of the Liechtenstein media
On 25th February 2025, the shadow report written by the Human Rights Association of Lichtenstein (Verein für Menschenrechte in Liechtenstein) together with 11 other organisations, on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), was presented to the public. This alternative report observes that discriminatory or misogynistic headlines are a recurring feature of the Liechtenstein media. It enjoins the State to encourage the media to refrain from offensive stereotyping and to promote rights-based reporting.
ASSOCIATION
Proposal for a national strategy on volunteering
On 3rd October 2025, the political groups of the Vaterländische Union (VU) and Fortschrittliche Bürgerpartei (FBP) submitted a joint motion to the Landtag calling on the government to examine a national strategy for volunteering. The aim is to strengthen volunteering in the long term by lifting bureaucratic obstacles and allowing for flexible working time models.
On 4th November 2025, the results of the survey ‘How connected does Liechtenstein feel?’ initiated by the Lebenswertes Liechtenstein Foundation and conducted by the Liechtenstein Institute were published. 36 per cent of Liechtensteiners surveyed were active volunteers for an association, organisation or public institution.
According to Lebenswertes Liechtenstein, the country has one of the highest association densities in the world, with 15.3 associations per 1,000 inhabitants and the two most common areas of voluntary work are sport and culture/education. Despite these numbers, members of parliament warn of a decline in involvement.
These ‘schools of democracy’, as associations are often referred to, are a key expression of an active civil society
- Lebenswertes Liechtenstein