advertisement on Pride. The ECtHR condemned Lithuania for censorship of a book depicting same-sex relationships. Transgender rights saw progress and setbacks. Germany abolished the discriminatory exclusion of transgender people, gay and bisexual men from blood donations. A new SelfDetermination Act was discussed in parliament, which would enable self-determination for transgender, non-binary and intersex people on the basis of a simple declaration at the registry office. In Finland such recognition became available to adults upon application. In Spain a new law guaranteed access to health services and gender self-determination. However, Bulgaria ended legal gender recognition for transgender people and the UK government blocked the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Act. Governments should meaningfully address systemic discrimination including against Jewish people, Muslim people, Black people, Roma and LGBTI people. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS In Finland, the government announced plans to cut public healthcare and raise user fees and taxes on medicines, which will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. The European Social Committee deemed admissible a complaint against Greece regarding austerity cuts to healthcare. Slovenia passed a Long-Term Care Act, but faced a shortage of doctors. Denmark and Finland announced cuts to social assistance. France, Ireland and Portugal had record levels of homelessness. Spain adopted a housing rights law, but failed to protect economically vulnerable people from evictions. In Serbia, the new semi-automated social welfare system resulted in possibly thousands of people losing access to vital social assistance and disproportionately affected Roma and people with disabilities. The response of the Turkish government after the February earthquakes was inadequate in protecting people with disabilities. Governments must take immediate action to guarantee all people’s economic and social rights, free from discrimination, including by assigning adequate resources and ensuring universal and comprehensive social protection. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT In positive moves a Cyprus court recognized an environmental NGO’s right to file public interest claims, NGOs in Ireland litigated against the failure to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and young people in Portugal brought a case against 33 countries at the ECtHR for insufficient action on climate change. The Council of Europe recognized politically the right to a healthy environment, but failed to adopt a binding legal instrument on this right. Many countries, however, continued fossil fuel use. Bulgaria and Romania planned gas exploration in the Black Sea, Greece and Slovakia planned LNG terminals, Malta supported a major gas pipeline, Norway provided tax incentives for oil and gas fields and Germany approved finance for fossil fuel projects. French banks were among the biggest funders of fossil fuel extraction. Governments should phase out the use and production of fossil fuel through a just transition. They should also urgently scale up climate finance to lower-income countries and commit to providing additional dedicated funding for loss and damage. 58 The State of the World’s Human Rights