The Academic Freedom Insights series, comprising nine policy briefs, builds upon the work of the Council of Europe Expert Working Group on the Democratic Mission of Higher Education. It explores key challenges, opportunities, and threats related to academic freedom, serving both as an awareness-raising tool and a resource for policy development.

Each brief addresses a specific dimension of academic freedom, reflecting priority areas identified by the Expert Working Group. The topics are:

• Political Interference in Academic Freedom
• SLAPPs and Legal Threats Against Academics
• Academic Freedom: A Human Rights Perspective
• Transnational Repression and Threats to Scholars
• Self-Censorship in Academia: Causes and Consequences
• Foreign Interference in Academia
• Misuse and Weaponisation of Academic Freedom
• The Role of the Private Sector Regarding Academic Freedom
• Online Harassment

Published between April and December 2025, the briefs were accompanied by webinars that bring together authors and stakeholders for open discussion.

Beyond raising awareness, the series is a key resource for the Council of Europe’s work on policy development and for partners across Europe and beyond. By promoting dialogue on academic freedom, the Insights series aims to support concrete action to strengthen democratic societies.

The insights from this series will also contribute to the development of a new Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Academic Freedom, expanding upon the existing Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)07.

 Webinar:

“Freedom to Think: Repression, Resistance, and the Right to Academic Freedom”


Wednesday, 10 September 2025, 11:00–12:30 CEST

This session featured presentations and discussions with the authors: Kirsten Roberts Lyer, Denise Roche, Zoltán Ronay, and Gergely Kovats.

The webinar focused on the following topics:

• Academic Freedom: Human Rights Perspective
• Transnational Repression and Threats to Scholars
• Self-Censorship in Academia: Causes and Consequences (forthcoming, 7 September)

More information about the first webinar "Exploring Legal and Political Threats to Academic Freedom"