The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) published the third edition of the overview report on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. Prepared by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the report indicates a clear trend: SLAPPs continue to proliferate on the continent.

The report refers to 1,049 SLAPP cases between 2010 and 2023. The authors note, however, that the numbers do not represent an exhaustive survey and are likely only the “tip of the iceberg.” For now, the number of SLAPPs identified in Europe in 2023 alone is 166, and many were initiated in Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye. In total, SLAPPs were filed in 41 countries across the continent, and the report lists some countries for the first time, like Monaco, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, and Denmark. 36% of the 2023 SLAPP cases were related to corruption, and 16% concerned environmental issues. Journalists are still targeted more often than any other public watchdogs, while Europe’s rich and powerful are still the most frequent SLAPPers: businesses and business people initiated almost half of the 2023 cases, and politicians filed over a third of them.

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