April 12, 2020
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Orban?
Since the advent of COVID-19, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has taken full advantage of the crisis to strengthen his hold on power in Hungary. In the past days, the Hungarian Parliament has passed measures that allow Orbán to rule by emergency decree indefinitely, suspend by-elections, and threaten those who spread “false” information (as defined by the government) with jail time. International condemnation was swift, with U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling the move “an affront to democracy. ”Yet the response from European leaders has largely been muted. Despite the European Union’s relative silence, there are measures the EU can take to punish Orbán.
In truth, the lackluster response to Orbán’s seizure of power in Hungary stems from the fact that it is actually quite difficult to punish member states who fail to uphold the EU’s values. There is no straight forward path to expel a member state, as suggestedby former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Member states can vote to suspend a member state’s voting rights through infringement proceedings, such as Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union. Indeed, the European Parliament already votedin 2018 to trigger a rule of law investigation of Hungary. Yet stripping Hungary of its voting rights would require a unanimous vote by the European Council, which consists of heads of state of EU countries. Undoubtedly, this measure would be vetoed by Poland, which faces separate Article 7 proceedings. Yet the EU has other policy options to punish Orbán for the illiberal path he has taken. Not using them now risks encouraging what is a burgeoning autocracy in the EU’s ranks.
Read the full article in Real Clear World.
More from CNAS
-
Leading the Free World
Reports
The United States has led the free world for eight decades, helping to usher in an era of unprecedented human flourishing. For much of that period, democracies expanded in num...
By Richard Fontaine, Shanthi Kalathil, Tod Lindberg, Tom Malinowski, Sarah Margon, Gibbs McKinley, Derek Mitchell, Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Corban Teague & Daniel Twining
-
Exploiting Russian Weakness
Reports
Introduction Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has created ripple effects that extend well beyond Ukraine’s borders. Reverberations from the war have been particularly p...
By Nicholas Lokker & Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
NATO Public Forum: The Axis of Upheaval
Video
During the NATO Public Forum, CNAS hosted a panel discussion that featured David Shullman, senior director of Global China Hub for the Atlantic Council, Benedetta Berti, head ...
By David Shullman
-
Richard Fontaine and Hal Brands Discuss the Axis of Upheaval
Podcast
The effects of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine are reverberating far beyond Ukraine’s borders. Perhaps most fundamentally, Putin’s invasion has catalyzed deepening cooperation...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Richard Fontaine & Hal Brands
