Stopping the Domino Effect: The EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism

The author contends that Viktor Orbán's government has systematically dismantled democratic institutions in Hungary, creating an 'authoritarian regime' that serves as a model for far-right movements in Europe. The text argues that previous EU responses were too timid, relying on 'soft law' and infringement procedures that failed to produce results. It advocates for the 'nuclear' option of Article 7—which can suspend voting rights—and specifically proposes linking EU funding in the Multiannual Financial Framework to the state of the rule of law to disrupt the financial incentives supporting the current regime.

• Viktor Orbán and the Fidesz party have used a two-thirds parliamentary supermajority over nine years to consolidate power by dominating the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and the prosecution with loyalists.
• The Hungarian government has implemented laws to suppress dissent, including requiring NGOs receiving over 23,000 euros annually from foreign donors to register as 'organisations funded from abroad' and imposing a 25 per cent extra tax on nonprofits working on immigration.
• The EU's historical inaction and reliance on infringement procedures have effectively legitimized the Hungarian government, making it a role model for illiberal parties such as Law and Justice in Poland, the Northern League in Italy, the Freedom Party of Austria, and the Alternative for Germany.
• The Sargentini report, adopted in September 2018, identified 12 major concerns violating Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty, leading to the launch of an Article 7 procedure that could potentially suspend Hungary's voting rights in the EU.
• The author proposes that the EU's next seven-year spending plan, the Multiannual Financial Framework, should be conditioned on the rule of law by cutting funds for governments interfering with the judiciary or providing funds to rights groups to challenge civil liberty violations.

APA

Simon, K. (2019). Stopping the Domino Effect: The EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/stopping-the-domino-effect-the-eu-response-to-hungarian-authoritarianism/

Chicago

Simon, Krisztian. Stopping the Domino Effect: The EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism. Green European Journal, 2019. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/stopping-the-domino-effect-the-eu-response-to-hungarian-authoritarianism/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Simon |first1=Krisztian |title=Stopping the Domino Effect: The EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism |publisher=Green European Journal |date=8 February 2019 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/stopping-the-domino-effect-the-eu-response-to-hungarian-authoritarianism/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{simon2019stopping, author = {Simon, Krisztian}, title = {{Stopping the Domino Effect: The EU Response to Hungarian Authoritarianism}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2019}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/stopping-the-domino-effect-the-eu-response-to-hungarian-authoritarianism/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }