„Mr Orban on the surface continues with his savvy communications policy that casts his proposals as fiscal proactivity and separates Hungary from Greece. On substance, the government continues along the path charted since it took office, incrementally rotting the integrity of the country’s democratic institutions. The eurozone has learnt that it lacks the institutions to police its members’ fiscal policies, and the world is paying the price. What Hungary demonstrates is that the EU also has a political blind spot that threatens its foundations – once a country is admitted, there are no viable mechanisms to enforce its continued adherence to the union’s mandate.
At the EU’s inception, member countries drafted the Copenhagen criteria – three non-negotiable tests that a nation must pass in its application for membership. To join the EU, a country needs a functioning, free market economy. It needs to adhere to the political and economic aims of the union. It also requires institutions that guarantee democracy and civil liberties. This is where Hungary increasingly falls short. Alarmingly, there is no institutional or legal recourse that the EU can fall back on to enforce the rules. Hungary is the first example of a member country that has not just dragged its feet on the path to democracy – it has back-pedalled.