New Eastern Europe is the exclusive bimonthly news magazine dedicated to covering Central and Eastern European affairs and is published by the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe in Wrocław 

The mission of New Eastern Europe is to shape the debate, enhance understanding and further the dialogue surrounding issues facing the states that were once a part of the Soviet Union or under its influence. New Eastern Europe takes a more journalistic approach with commentary/analysis from journalists, experts, analysts, writers, historians, as well as leaders and political figures from the East and the West. Our editorial philosophy is to provide a voice to the region. 

New Eastern Europe is a not-for-profit journal written in English. The journal is dedicated to producing a high-quality, engaging publication sharing the most current in-depth analyses and ideas that are emerging out of the region. 

Print subscriptions — which also include free access to all the digital issues — are available from New Eastern Europe's web shop priced from 50 EUR/year — click here for details

If you subscribe via New Eastern Europe or Exact Editions you can view the complete archive online as well as via the iPhone, iPad or Android apps. Please note that if you subscribe via an app, you only get access via that app.

For details on campus-wide digital subscriptions for institutions, please email institutions@exacteditions.com.

In 1975, the Helsinki Final Act was signed, marking a landmark moment that introduced human rights into the framework of the international legal and political order. Its significance became even clearer in 1976, when initiatives such as the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, the Lithuanian Helsinki Group and the Moscow Helsinki Group were established to monitor the Soviet state’s compliance with its provisions.

These were the first wave of Helsinki monitoring groups, setting a model for later initiatives in other Soviet republics and across Central and Eastern Europe. At the height of the Cold War, these developments affirmed that the treatment of individuals within states was not merely a domestic concern, but a matter of legitimate international interest.

Today, as that very principle comes under strain, this legacy feels more relevant than ever. Major powers are increasingly abandoning decades of multilateralism, reverting instead to a geopolitical logic where might makes right. This shift has many dimensions that cannot be ignored. Among the most consequential is the growing tendency to subordinate human rights to national interests and the securitization of state policy. This trend is not confined to distant powers; it is increasingly visible across Europe as well.

In this issue, we pose a fundamental question: do human rights still matter? Our answer is unequivocal: they do. Yet, we have asked our contributors to examine this question within a broader and more complex context. Can multilateral institutions tasked with promoting human rights endure in the current climate? Where are the most serious violations occurring? And how is the concept of human rights evolving in our region?