'200,000-strong petition for EU anti-SLAPP law delivered to European Commissioner', 1 February 2022

A petition with over 200,000 signatures that calls for an EU directive against SLAPP suits was delivered on Tuesday to the European Commissioner for values and transparency, Vera Jourová.

The petition was presented by representatives of the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), together with two individuals affected by SLAPP suits...

The number of people and organisations across the EU being targeted by so-called SLAPP lawsuitsis constantly increasing. SLAPPs are abusive lawsuits filed with the purpose of shutting down acts of public participation, including public interest journalism, peaceful protest or boycotts, advocacy or whistleblowing.

Wealthy and powerful individuals abuse the law to force their critics into time-consuming and costly legal proceedings aimed at silencing them. Given the threat to fundamental rights posed by SLAPPs, CASE considers a strong EU antiSLAPP law necessary to protect democratic values, such as freedom of expression and the right to protest across the EU. An anti-SLAPP EU directive, as detailed in the Model EU Directive drafted by the CASE coalition, would provide a high and uniform level of protection against SLAPPs in all EU countries and serve as a model across the continent...