Europe’s Governance Performance Slipping, Warns New Report
Wednesday 9 September, 2026
Los Angeles – Europe, long considered a global leader in democracy, is starting to slip from its position at the top, according to a new report from governance experts.
The report, titled “Sustaining and Expanding Europe’s High Governance Performance”, is based on the European Berggruen Governance Index (EBGI). This index analyzes states’ governance performance in terms of democracy, government quality, and citizens’ lives. The findings warn that Europe’s complacency, also known as the “silent killer of governance”, could undermine democratic accountability and raise questions about the region’s long-term stability.
Produced by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute, and Berlin’s Hertie School, the report highlights Europe’s dominant position among democracies globally. However, a closer look at the data from 2000 to 2023 reveals a more nuanced story, one that requires greater attention.
A Tale of Three Factors
The report shows that while Europe has seen an overall improvement in the quality of life and the provision of public goods, its institutions have remained stagnant. This has caused a decline in state capacity and democratic accountability since 2010. The report also notes that this trend is not unique to Europe but is more pronounced in the region.
The report found that democratic accountability, or the quality of democracy, has come to a global standstill, with many countries, including those in Europe, experiencing a decline. At the same time, even as the quality of government has held steady throughout the world, the fortunes of citizens have improved. In Europe, the increased quality of life mirrors that of non-European countries, but the quality of governance has stalled.
Europe’s Shifting Landscape
To gain a better understanding of Europe’s governance fortunes, the report sorted countries into three clusters, or “worlds”. The first cluster identified those with strong institutions and high governance performance. The second cluster groups post-communist EU members, along with aspiring and candidate states. The third cluster is composed of Europe’s weakest performers in terms of democratic accountability.
Through examining the “worlds” between 2000 and 2023, researchers found what they refer to as a “convergence from below”, an upward shift that saw 12 countries move into a higher governance cluster. However, this move was largely due to improved public services, not stronger democracy, which could have negative implications for the future.
The clusters were ranked according to economic, social, technological, and climate factors. Research shows that the top cluster is best placed to deal with future challenges in the decades to come. While the findings show that quality of life alone cannot ensure the democratic accountability and state capacity provided by robust institutions, the report details how the allure of EU membership does result in reforms among accession countries that help fuel governance progress.
Estonia – A Success Story
Among the success stories, the report highlights Estonia, which was able to combine EU accession, fiscal discipline, low corruption, and extensive digital government, all key governance indicators, to move into the top cluster of countries.
By comparison, Greece was an example of what the report called a “distinctly European pathway of decline”, whose weakened state capacity and democratic accountability have been undermined by economic crisis and external conditionality brought on by loans, austerity measures, and forced reforms.
The report also outlines how the increase in the provision of public goods is not always domestically driven. Countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans have partially relied on funding from Brussels, while other parts of Europe have amassed debt to improve quality of life, which can lead to limited growth among poorer countries.
Strengthening the Weakest Links
The authors make it clear that while Europe has succeeded at boosting the quality of life through better provision of public goods, it has struggled to maintain democratic accountability and sustain a high level of state capacity needed to navigate the decades ahead.
To begin addressing the governance gap that exists between Europe’s core and peripheral countries, the report recommends a renewed focus on bolstering democracy and engaging citizens. In addition to administrative reform and democratic renewal, the report also recommends building a stronger democracy through social accountability, an area largely beyond EU influence.
Specifically, researchers point to attacks on freedom of the press and a shrinking civil society as greater threats to democratic accountability than “rigged elections or captured courts”. In their view, media pluralism and civic space need to be treated as “governance infrastructure” to not only help “reinvigorate democracy and make citizens feel that they are represented”, but also to prevent the “silent killer” of complacency from taking hold.
The full report, “European Berggruen Governance Index – Sustaining and Expanding Europe’s High Governance Performance” can be viewed and downloaded from the website of the UCLA’s Luskin School.
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