Slovenia

The CIVICUS Monitor upgrades Slovenia's civic space to "Open" highlighting significant strides in fostering civil society engagement and press freedom

December 04, 2024

The CIVICUS Monitor announced in a new report Wednesday that it has upgraded Slovenia’s civic space to "Open" in its annual ratings, highlighting positive steps in fostering civil society engagement and press freedom.

Slovenia’s upgraded rating, detailed in the People Power Under Attack 2024 report, reflects the government’s actions to strengthen democratic processes and promote cooperation. Among the most important steps are the hard-won legislative changes to secure the independence of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, new ways to consult with civil society and increased dialogue. These changes signal a clear break from the restrictive policies of the previous government.

In a further move to roll back and remedy unjust restrictions on civic space, a law was passed granting amnesty to those fined under strict COVID-19 policies, which targeted anti-government protesters.

“This year, we saw governments across Europe crack down on protests with sweeping bans and brutal force,” said Tara Petrović, the researcher on Europe and Central Asia for the CIVICUS Monitor. “Slovenia stood out as a rare exception, showing that progress is possible when authorities choose dialogue over repression.”

The CIVICUS Monitor, which is a research consortium led by global civil society alliance CIVICUS, tracked civic space conditions in 198 countries throughout the year. The Monitor determines each country’s rating based on data on civic space incidents collected by dozens of research teams around the world. Incidents may include protests, censorship, arrests of human rights defenders, harassment, and more. Each country then receives a rating between 0-100 based on its incidents, with higher scores indicating more open civic space.

This year Slovenia’s score increased 14 points from 70 to 84, moving it from “narrowed” to “Open.” An “Open rating” signifies the state both enables and safeguards the enjoyment of civic space for all people. Levels of fear are low as citizens are free to form associations, demonstrate in public places and receive and impart information without restrictions in law or practice.

Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement. Civil society organisations in Slovenia face significant funding obstacles, including a controversial cancelled tender and limited financial support for organisations working to protect the environment and people on the move. Despite positive steps, the government hasn’t fully delivered on election promises. Two years into its mandate, it has yet to introduce media legislation reforms aimed at ensuring the survival of quality, independent journalism and promoting content plurality.

“Following the overt hostility of its predecessors toward journalists and media, the current government pledged to reform media legislation to provide a robust framework for the operation of journalism in a highly challenging domestic and international environment. This includes enacting laws to prevent abuses like those seen two years ago, particularly in ensuring stable funding for public media and establishing effective subsidy schemes for media content production,” said Špela Stare, Secretary General of Association of Journalists of Slovenia. “However, this promise remains unfulfilled. If the government fails to act, it may not be accused of active hostility toward the media, but it also cannot be credited with proactive support.”

Furthermore, civil society, activists and independent journalists continue to be vilified by opposition politicians, including Prime Minister Janez Janša, and politically connected media outlets that seek to cast doubt on their work and discredit their efforts to promote equality and respect for human rights.

“The new liberal government indeed brought calmer times. However, key promises to civil society regarding ensuring better access to public healthcare, a fairer tax policy, and affordable housing for young people remain unrealised, and civil society is practically excluded from their planning,” said Goran Forbici, Director of CNVOS Slovenia. “As the 2026 elections draw near, it is worth remembering that autocratic populists are not winning because of their autocracy, but because of the unwillingness of liberal governments to address and solve the economic and social concerns that plague the people.”

Notes to the Editor:

The CIVICUS Monitor is a research tool that provides quantitative and qualitative data on the state of civil society and civic freedoms in 198 countries and territories. The data is generated through a collaboration with more than 20 civil society research partners, and input from a number of independent human rights evaluations. The data provides the basis for civic space ratings and countries can be rated as either 'Closed', 'Repressed', 'Obstructed', 'Narrowed' or 'Open'.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact : media@civicus.org