Are the Tools of the Council of Europe Sufficient to Protect Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law from Backsliding?
Journal: The European Convention on Human Rights Law Review
Year: 2020

Recent years have seen a trend towards populism, nationalism and authoritarianism which has resulted in a backlash for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The trend has also affected member states of the Council of Europe (CoE), from the Russian Federation to Turkey and from Hungary to Poland or Serbia, to mention just a few examples. Some explicitly or implicitly see themselves as 'illiberal democracies' , deliberately departing from the values of the CoE. What can be said about the re