30/09/2026 | 18:01:25 Thank you. A thriving democracy is a carefully balanced and ever-evolving creation, an architecture resting on the pillars of elected and unelected institutions. Both pillars must be strong and vital, but be able to operate independently. That is the founding principle of liberal democracy: countervailing powers check and restrain political powers. Elected politicians have no say over the media. Elected politicians, parliaments and governments have no power over the courts. An independent... 30/09/2026 | 11:10:43 Media capture, the problem that is addressed in this report, is a real and serious threat, as we have seen in recent years in member states such as Hungary and Serbia. This report rightly acknowledges the vital role of the media in a democracy. I do not wish to detract from its importance, but I would like to broaden the discussion by asking: to ensure real media pluralism, is it adequate to approach the media primarily as a market? Or are they, first and foremost, an essential public... 22/04/2026 | 17:48:26 Dear colleagues, Whilst the abolition of the death penalty was long taken for granted, there has recently been a noticeable setback in the fight against capital punishment. Even more, there are countries that have recently reintroduced the death penalty into their legislation. A lot of you spoke about it already. That is totally undesirable and absolutely unacceptable. One of the most fierce and eloquent rebuttals of the death penalty is found in "Reflections on the Guillotine", by the...