Can the EU Stop Eastern Europe's Illiberal Turn?

The EU's activation of Article 7 procedures against Hungary and Poland signals that it is beginning to take seriously the illiberal turn in Central Europe. However, the likelihood that the EU can restrain populist and illiberal tendencies in Hungary and Poland in the near future is slim. Despit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCritical review (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 31; no. 3-4; pp. 255 - 266
Main Author Appel, Hilary
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Astoria Routledge 02.10.2019
Critical Review
Subjects
Accession
Article 7
Bureaucracy
Communism
Efficacy
EU Accession
European Union
Hungary
illiberalism
International organizations
Liberalism
Poland
Populism
Hungary
Poland
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Summary:The EU's activation of Article 7 procedures against Hungary and Poland signals that it is beginning to take seriously the illiberal turn in Central Europe. However, the likelihood that the EU can restrain populist and illiberal tendencies in Hungary and Poland in the near future is slim. Despite the efficacy of the EU and other international organizations in promoting liberalism in these countries in the past, similar efforts are hobbled by a lack of political will and by significant bureaucratic hurdles. The impetus to protect the liberal institutions and practices developed after the collapse of communism must come from the combined efforts of additional external actors and, most of all, by strong pressure from below.
ISSN:0891-3811
1933-8007
DOI:10.1080/08913811.2019.1647956