Civic Environment Report 2026: Slovakia

Since late 2023, Robert Fico’s government has openly targeted critical civil society, independent media and the opposition. Between January 2025 and June 2026, senior officials repeatedly cast NGOs as “foreign mercenaries” and enemies of the state, and in early 2025 even linked them to an alleged coup plot. The ruling party paid for most of the attack advertising against NGOs and journalists on social media. Around €15–16 million in public funding for human rights, culture and environmental organisations was cut or withheld. A 2025 law requiring NGOs to disclose their donors, which activists call the “Russian law”, was struck down by the Constitutional Court. The government then responded with sweeping audits, inspections and criminal investigations against selected organisations. Core freedoms remain legally protected, and the courts continue to act as a real check. Slovakians still give, volunteer and protest in large numbers. Pressure has also pushed CSOs closer together and closer to municipalities, businesses and independent media.