Democracy ‘not radically worse’ in EU than a year ago, says bloc’s executive

The European Union's latest democracy health check showed there was no significant deterioration across the 27-nation bloc in areas like media and court freedoms or efforts to tackle corruption over the last year, a top official said on Wednesday.

The assessment came as the EU executive released its latest rule of law report, which includes tips for democratic improvements across EU member states.

Last year's snapshot highlighted serious concerns about the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. Both governments lost access to billions of euros in EU aid over related disputes.

"This rule of law report shows that there is no radical worsening or backsliding in any member state," said a deputy head of the Commission, Vera Jourova.

"I will never be satisfied, in general, because there are a lot of things to be improved," she continued.

She noted some...