Solberg: – Democracy is under pressure

Prime Minister Erna Solberg at a joint press conference with Council of Europe Secretary general Thorbjorn Jagland.Photo: Johan Falnes / NTB scanpix

Prime Minister Erna Solberg is concerned about the development of democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Confidence is falling, she warns.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg visited  the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Monday , where she was welcomed by Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland.

They share concerns about the developments now taking place in several European countries.

– What we see is that democracy and the rule of law is under pressure in Europe. In many countries elsewhere in the world , things are moving in the right direction , but in several countries on the fringes of Europe it is going the wrong way, says Solberg to the news agency NTB.

– There are many dark clouds. We are seeing a rebirth of nationalism across the whole of Europe really, says Jagland.

Solberg says that it is not only curtailed free speech that worries her, but also the arbitrariness and corruption in the judiciary systems of several countries.

– What many Western countries are experiencing now is a collapse of confidence in our systems, she says.

According to Jagland, authoritarian currents are in the process of gaining acceptance in many countries.

– We see in particular  a relapse in Eastern Europe, and we have long had our eyes on Russia, but we also see what is happening in Turkey. Thus the question is, for example, what will happen in the elections here in France, he said.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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