Bulgaria’s European awakening
Bulgaria’s reformist government may have fallen, but this is a new era for the country. Policymakers should now build on Bulgarians’ growing sense of common purpose.
Anti-Establishment Parties
Why the EU’s rule of law mechanism won’t resolve its democratic crisis
It is crucial for the European Commission to resolutely defend the rule of law. If it settles for a rotten compromise with Warsaw, there will be a risk of legal chaos in the EU.
Autocratic power grab is no defence of sovereignty
The Polish prime minister has dismissed the dispute between Poland and the EU as a difference of opinion over competences. This is nonsense: the rule of law is at stake.
The road back to democracy in central Europe
The selection of a lead opposition candidate in Hungary is a promising sign for the strength of democracy in Europe. Democrats throughout the EU should lend their support to restoring the rule of law.
Nordic discomfort: How Denmark, Sweden, and Finland could harm the European project
Too many Europeans are turning a blind eye to the domestic politics of Nordic states. But theirs is a trajectory that could affect the future of the EU.
Under cover of Covid, Poland is stifling free media – and all Europe should be worried
A planned ‘coronavirus tax’ on revenues and attacks on foreign-owned media threaten to cut away democracy piece by piece
Calling it quits: How Europe should build on Fidesz’s exit from the EPP
The European People’s Party tolerated Fidesz for far too long. Its de facto expulsion should be a turning point in the relationship between the EU and Orbán’s Hungary
The long year: Top foreign policy trends for 2021
Mark Leonard and Jeremy Shapiro predict ten bright and bold policy projections for the year to come
How the EU should turn the tables on Hungary and Poland
It was not only western European countries that insisted on the rule of law of mechanism – others like Slovakia and Romania did as well
Instrumental solidarity: Hungary’s management of the coronavirus crisis
The Orbán government’s demonstrations of European solidarity have been partly motivated by its nationalist goals and its concerns about migration