All posts tagged: Rule of Law

Hungary’s Magyar meets von der Leyen to game-plan unlocking frozen EU funds – POLITICO

Hungary’s Magyar meets von der Leyen to game-plan unlocking frozen EU funds – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Magyar’s team has also been working with some of his predecessor’s ministers and civil servants to advance the technical work required to make the reforms, three other officials with knowledge of the proceedings said. András Kármán, Magyar’s nominee for finance minister, István Kapitány, tapped for economy minister, and Anita Orbán, the incoming foreign minister, met a high-level Commission delegation, including von der Leyen’s Cabinet chief Bjoern Seibert, on Saturday and prepared the ground for the Magyar-von der Leyen meeting. Before that, the teams met in Budapest on April 18 and 19. The first step to unlocking Hungary’s recovery money is complying with 27 EU-mandated “super milestones,” covering procurement, judicial independence and academic freedom. Because Tisza has won more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, Magyar is expected to be able to get those changes approved quickly. European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber with Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels in January 2025. Weber said the European Parliament should halt Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images The harder part is …

EU forges ahead with membership for Ukraine and Moldova after Orbán’s exit – POLITICO

EU forges ahead with membership for Ukraine and Moldova after Orbán’s exit – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The EU previously voiced concerns about anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, and some Ukrainian lawmakers have objected to changes being demanded by Brussels. Kachka said these objections were a normal part of the democratic process, but that rule-of-law reforms were under way. Despite the optimism, the process will still be challenging. Capitals have already pushed back on the idea new countries could be waved through for geopolitical reasons, amid concerns that future governments could backslide on democracy and the rule of law, creating another confrontation like they have seen from Hungary. However, a broader discussion about reforming the process or admitting new members without full rights has not yet gotten off the ground. “With the present Hungarian government it is possible to go on with the €90 billion loan, and with the new government, we will go on to with the accession process,” Kos said Wednesday. EU leaders pose for a group photograph in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on April 23, 2026. | Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images Responding to reports France and Germany want to offer …

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“By definition, everybody understands of each other that the loyalty is to your political bosses and to delivering results to their instructions,” said Ivan Rogers, about national ambassadors to the EU, a role he performed for the U.K. in Brussels until 2017. And, whatever Ódor thought about these instructions personally, he followed them to the letter. While even those who worked closely with Ódor were uncertain about whether he was simply following orders or shared Orbán’s desire to bash Brussels, his reputation as the outgoing prime minister’s fixer may well be his downfall, according to five diplomats and officials from countries other than Hungary who worked with him closely, and who were granted anonymity to speak to POLITICO. It would be easy to think that, given Orbán’s loud anti-EU stance, his man in Brussels would be a blunt instrument. Quite the opposite. Ódor is an expert on its treaties and has a PhD in international relations. Universities back home use his books to teach students how Europe works. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU Bálint Ódor, …

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Russia-aligned Rumen Radev set to win Bulgarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In his remarks after voting on Sunday morning, Radev said the election was an opportunity to “take back” the country from oligarchs, but also called for relations of “mutual respect” with Moscow, based on Russia’s role in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman empire in 1878.   While these positions have helped him build up a base of support at home, he has avoided direct confrontation with the West and has generally fallen in step with the European mainstream when attending European Council meetings in Brussels. European funds are vital to the EU’s poorest member country and Bulgarian leaders have traditionally avoided any provocative antics in Brussels in the style of outgoing Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. In the days before the election, the former MiG-29 pilot pushed back against the accusations that he was pro-Russian. “I don’t see what kind of pro-Russian position I have. I have completely pro-Bulgarian positions, I have pro-European positions,” he said. He refuses to go to into coalition with Bulgaria’s two most prominent politicians — former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and …

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán’s Fidesz party came in a distant second with only 52 seats in the parliament. “Here are the results of the 2026 parliamentary election: an unprecedented majority, an unprecedented mandate — and, at the same time, an unprecedented responsibility,” Magyar wrote in an X post on Saturday. He added that he could be officially sworn in as prime minister in mid-May. Magyar’s supermajority could facilitate the swift approval of democratic reforms necessary to unlock €17 billion of EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law shortcomings under Orbán’s tenure. Under the current rules, the Hungarian government has to fulfill 27 EU-mandated conditions — officially known as “super milestones” — that will reform the country’s procurement rules, and increase judicial independence and academic freedom as a precondition to claim any funding. Over the weekend, Magyar and his future ministers held talks in Budapest with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of staff, Bjoern Seibert, and several director-generals. The goal was to outline a roadmap to release the money and discuss a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that was …

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Fighter pilot Rumen Radev looks to break Bulgaria’s political deadlock – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Eclectic supporters Despite years of speculation that he would go for the prime minister’s job, Radev only finally revealed his Progressive Bulgaria project in March. While Radev doesn’t formally lead Progressive Bulgaria, he is unmistakably its face. The movement features a motley assembly of politicians close to him or some who changed their allegiance, and also includes military figures, newcomers and former sports personalities. Only six women lead party lists across the country’s 31 electoral districts. “His face is everywhere, which is probably what matters, because nobody else is recognizable,” said Dimitar Bechev, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. Progressive Bulgaria has attracted an eclectic range of backers. Polls show it has drawn some supporters of the pro-Russian far-right Revival party. Ahmed Dogan, the founder of the ethnic Turkish DSP party and now a major rival of Peevski, has also expressed his support. And VMRO, a smaller nationalist grouping, has formally endorsed Radev’s party. Yet the party’s program offers few specifics, and Radev has not positioned Progressive Bulgaria clearly on the political spectrum. His economic …

Commission delegation heads to Budapest to negotiate release of EU funds – POLITICO

Commission delegation heads to Budapest to negotiate release of EU funds – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Magyar’s landslide victory has given Tisza a supermajority in parliament, with which it can pass sweeping reforms aimed at restoring judicial independence, academic freedom and media pluralism, reversing years of democratic backsliding. The prime minister-elect’s ultimate goal is to unlock more than €30 billion in EU funds that Brussels froze due to rule-of-law concerns. He is under particular pressure to release around €10 billion in Covid-19 recovery funds that expire at the end of August this year. The Budapest meeting follows a phone call between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Magyar on Tuesday, where the two discussed “immediate priorities,” the commission chief said on X. “There is swift work to be done to restore, realign and reform,” she wrote. “Restore the rule of law. Realign with our shared European values. And reform, to unlock the opportunities offered by European investments.” After the call, Magyar said both had “agreed that unlocking the EU funds earmarked for the Hungarian people” and that “the Commission will work closely with us to meet the extremely tight deadline …

Orbán’s 16-year rule over Hungary ends in crushing election defeat – POLITICO

Orbán’s 16-year rule over Hungary ends in crushing election defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán conceded, with tears in his eyes, saying: “However it turned out, we will serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition.” If the current margin of victory holds, Magyar will secure a supermajority in parliament that will allow him to unravel key features of Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” — demolishing the prime minister’s tight control over the judiciary, state companies and the media. Orbán’s departure will come as a huge relief to the EU, whose systemic weaknesses he has exposed and exploited for years, most recently by helping Putin block €90 billion of European support to Ukraine. A gleeful European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced: “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight.” A heavy loss for the Hungarian premier will also deliver a painful blow to Trump’s MAGA movement, which has viewed Hungary’s prime minister as a talismanic trailblazer for its own brand of anti-immigrant, Christian-oriented nationalism.   Brussels officials have long accused Orbán of undermining key pillars of Hungarian democracy — from the judiciary to the media — and …

EU poised to slash up to €1.5B in funding to Serbia over democracy fears – POLITICO

EU poised to slash up to €1.5B in funding to Serbia over democracy fears – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Tensions flared further in December when President Vučić snubbed an EU-Western Balkans summit. Vučić, who has maintained close ties with Moscow throughout its war with Ukraine, bemoaned the sluggish pace of negotiations for EU membership. In a joint article with his Albanian counterpart in February he said he would prefer to pursue closer economic alignment with the EU, such as joining the single market and free travel zone, rather than full political membership. Kos rejected those proposals, arguing that significant reforms would still need to be delivered to make that happen. Then, last month, Serbia came under fire over reports of violence and irregularities during local elections, along with a police raid on a university that saw hundreds of students clash with law enforcement. An EU official said those recent events, along with Serbia’s continued cooperation with Moscow, had proven to be a tipping point for Brussels’ relations with Belgrade and had triggered a toughening of the EU executive’s stance. “As a candidate country, we also expect Serbia to stand with us on foreign policy …