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The EU Is Upping the Ante on Rule of Law Abuses in Hungary and Poland

The EU Is Upping the Ante on Rule of Law Abuses in Hungary and Poland
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, April 23, 2021 (pool photo by Francois Walschaerts via AP).

The European Union issued its second annual report on the rule of law in EU member states last week, singling out Hungary and Poland for harsh criticism. 

“Risks of clientelism, favouritism and nepotism” are unaddressed in the former, the report reads, while the independence of the judiciary and political pressure on the media are a concern in both.

In one sense, this harsh rhetoric only served to underscore the EU’s failure to meaningfully confront these illiberal regimes and prod them to change course. 

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