Nov. 12.– The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the EU’s national Economic and Social Councils discussed at their annual meeting the integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, the EU’s open strategic autonomy and enhancing the EESC’s role following the Conference on the Future of Europe.

European organised civil society can and must contribute to providing an effective answer to the EU’s current geopolitical challenges, such as the integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine and the need for a strategic autonomy.

Former Soviet states have become unlikely defenders of the rule of law.

Oct. 26.– In too many places around the world, freedom is denied. In theocracies such as Afghanistan and Iran, women lack the right to dress as they please. In countries from Myanmar to Sudan, juntas rule. And Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has not only launched a lawless war against his neighbour, Ukraine, but clamped down further on his own people’s rights. Yet there are bright spots too—and some of these can be found on Mr. Putin’s doorstep (see chart).

This can be seen in a report published on October 26th by the World Justice Project, a charity based in Washington, DC. It draws on tens of thousands of responses from legal practitioners, local academics, and household surveys to produce the Rule of Law Index, a ranking of 140 countries and jurisdictions according to a series of indicators: constraints on government powers, the absence of corruption, fundamental rights, and criminal and civil justice.