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Far-Right Laws in Europe 2025 By PeanutsChoice | CitizenOfEurope.com
June 11, 2025
Europe at a Crossroads
As far-right populists gain power across Europe, they’re not just making headlines—they’re changing laws. From increased surveillance to measures targeting minority rights, these shifts represent a deeper, strategic transformation of European democracies. What may seem like isolated policy tweaks are, in fact, part of a coordinated trend.
Here are ten of the most consequential legislative moves from May and June 2025.
Far-Right Influence on European Lawmaking
Far-right parties have moved from the political fringe to the heart of governance. Their rise has led to an assertive reshaping of legislation, often aimed at reinforcing state control, limiting dissent, and redefining civil liberties. These aren’t abstract shifts—they have immediate, tangible impacts on democratic safeguards.
The legislative agenda reveals a disturbing pattern: increased centralization, reduced checks and balances, and targeted exclusions of vulnerable communities.
Civil Liberties Under Pressure
Minority rights are being directly targeted. The tightening of asylum rules, censorship of LGBTQ+ speech, and surveillance of civil society actors are central to this push. Governments justify these measures as necessary for national security or the defense of “traditional values,” but the effect is clear: a narrowing of public space and rising intolerance.
Country-by-Country Breakdown
Sweden: Surveillance Powers Expanded
In June 2025, Sweden’s Riksdag passed new intelligence legislation broadening the legal scope of state surveillance. Under the “Act on Enhanced Intelligence Powers,” agencies can now access metadata without prior court approval in cases labeled as national security threats.
Civil rights groups such as Privacy International argue this move significantly erodes personal privacy and lacks adequate oversight mechanisms. While the Swedish government points to increased threats from far-right and jihadist groups, critics warn the law could be used to suppress dissent.
Poland: Tightening Asylum Access
In May 2025, Poland introduced sweeping restrictions on asylum applications through a Ministry of Interior decree. The law narrows the eligibility criteria for asylum seekers and empowers border agents to reject applicants on procedural grounds.
Human rights organizations, including ECRE, say the policy violates EU asylum directives and international refugee obligations. The Polish government claims it is responding to security threats and migration pressure at its eastern border.
Hungary: Anti-LGBTQ+ Law Expanded
Hungary passed new amendments to its “Act on Public Morality” in June 2025, further limiting LGBTQ+ visibility in education, media, and public events. The law expands previous restrictions, barring LGBTQ+ content from state-funded cultural spaces and imposing penalties on media outlets that fail to comply.
Amnesty International and local advocacy groups condemn the move as institutionalized discrimination. The Orbán government insists the law protects children and upholds national traditions.
Italy: Cannabis Ban Triggers Protests
Italy’s far-right-led government enacted a full prohibition on recreational cannabis in May, criminalizing possession, personal use, and cultivation. Within a week, demonstrations erupted in Rome, Milan, and Bologna.
While the government cites public health concerns, critics argue the ban criminalizes youth and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Civil rights groups say the law is part of a broader authoritarian turn, alongside increased police powers and media consolidation.
Netherlands: Coalition Collapse Over Immigration
In June 2025, the Dutch coalition government collapsed after the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, withdrew support over a proposed asylum reform bill. The bill would have distributed refugees across municipalities in compliance with EU directives.
The PVV called the policy “suicidal globalism,” while mainstream coalition partners defended it as a legal obligation. The government’s fall has triggered fresh elections and intensified polarization over migration policy.
What’s at Stake?
What unites these laws isn’t geography—it’s intent. Across the continent, far-right actors are using the legislative process to entrench their worldviews. These laws weaken pluralism, shrink civil space, and embolden exclusionary politics.
But resistance is growing. From street protests in Italy to court challenges in Hungary, citizens, NGOs, and progressive leaders are pushing back. Whether this resistance can reverse the legislative tide remains one of Europe’s defining political battles in 2025.
Sources & References
- Swedish Parliament – Act on Enhanced Intelligence Powers, June 2025
- Privacy International – Surveillance and Democracy in Sweden, May 2025
- Polish Ministry of Interior – Regulation on Asylum Procedures, May 2025
- European Council on Refugees and Exiles – Poland’s New Asylum Laws and EU Compliance, June 2025
- Hungarian Parliament – Act on Public Morality and Media Restrictions, June 2025
- Amnesty International – Hungary’s Continued Attacks on LGBTQ+ Rights, June 2025
- Italian Government Gazette – Law on Prohibition of Cannabis Use, May 2025
- Reuters – Protests Erupt Over Cannabis Law in Italy, May 2025
- Dutch Parliament – Official records on coalition collapse, June 2025
- Politico Europe – Wilders and the Fall of the Dutch Government, June 2025
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Disclaimer
This article was independently researched and written by the Citizen of Europe editorial team. AI was used only for layout and copyediting assistance. All factual claims are supported by publicly available and verified sources.
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