Brussels – The Greenpeace European Unit published a model of the anti-SLAPP directive we expect the European Commission to table in the coming months. 

For six days, hundreds of thousands of Romanians (in the nation’s cities but also abroad) have protested in the street in defense of democracy and the instruments of the Rule of Law, after the government passed an emergency ordinance which would have made possible the decriminalization of corruption. These were the largest protests since those in 1989, which led to the fall of the communist regime. The protests were non-violent and the creativity and solidarity of Romanians were given as an example worldwide through the international media.

We believe free speech, freedom of assembly, and peaceful dissent are fundamental pillars of any democracy. Companies and powerful people should not be allowed to sue because they don’t like what they have read. Strong EU measures are needed to protect those exposing wrongdoing and our democracies.

Activists, NGOs, journalists and others shouldn’t be worried about hefty fines and drawn-out legal battles for doing their jobs. The EU institutions need to take the initiative to stop this trend of abuse and intimidation by tabling anti-SLAPP measures across Europe.

Read our anti-SLAPP directive model here