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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stirred controversy again, this time by accusing the European Union of destroying democracy. In a post on X, Musk urged Ireland and other EU countries to leave the bloc, claiming it undermines democratic values.
His comments followed criticism of a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling. The court rejected Ireland's argument that it could not meet asylum seekers’ basic needs due to high numbers of applicants. The ECJ clarified that EU law requires member states to provide a minimum standard of living—including housing and vouchers—for asylum seekers, even in challenging circumstances.
This kind of backlash often surfaces when ECJ decisions go against certain political viewpoints. However, international data paints a different picture.
Contrary to Musk’s claims, EU member states consistently perform well in global democracy rankings. According to the latest Democracy Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), 13 of the 25 "full democracies" in the world are EU countries. The index evaluates nations on five criteria: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation, and political culture—assigning scores out of 10.
In short, Europe—especially the EU—remains one of the strongest bastions of democracy worldwide, despite occasional political disagreements.
Nordic and Western European Nations Lead in Global Democracy Rankings
Some of the world's highest-ranking democracies include Sweden, Finland, Denmark — and notably, Ireland.
When including non-EU European nations, the list becomes even more impressive, with Norway topping the chart, followed closely by Iceland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Outside Europe, a handful of countries also performed strongly. New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, and Canada all secured top spots.
While many EU member states fall under the category of "flawed democracies" according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), this still represents the second-highest classification on the index. France, Malta, Slovenia, and Latvia are among the EU countries in this tier. Beyond Europe, the United States — home to Elon Musk — and South Africa, where Musk was born, also appear in the "flawed democracy" category.
The EIU highlights that European nations continue to dominate the global rankings, especially the Nordic countries and those in Western Europe.
"Western Europe has the highest index score of any region, at 8.38, and was the only one to improve its overall score in 2024, albeit marginally," the report noted.
Globally, however, the EIU observed a decline in democratic standards and a rise in autocratic regimes.
Even within the EU, not all trends are positive. Countries like Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania have seen democratic backsliding. Romania is now classified as a "hybrid regime" — a system combining democratic processes with authoritarian practices.
In Hungary, declining public trust in government and worsening corruption were key concerns. Similarly, Bulgaria saw its corruption indicators worsen.
Still, the divide between Eastern and Western EU countries is gradually narrowing. For the first time in over a decade, two Eastern European nations — the Czech Republic and Estonia — have been upgraded to the "full democracies" category. Photo by Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden, Wikimedia commons.