EU Sanction of Hungary Could Backfire
Viktor Orban’s government is eroding the rule of law, but exclusion would empower the continent’s far right.
Europe is skeptical about Viktor Orban.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The European Parliament’s vote on Wednesday on whether to start a disciplinary procedure against Hungary could have the unintended consequence of helping the far right and Steve Bannon’s project of building a nationalist alliance for the 2019 European elections.
There’s no denying that Hungary has veered off the liberal path and that European censure for violations of the rule of law would be justified. Prime Minister Viktor Orban was elected to a third term this year, and he and his friends have consolidated control of much of the country’s media. In addition, the government has cracked down on nonprofit organizations, especially those working to help immigrants. The European Union has long had concerns about the Hungarian government’s efforts to control the Constitutional Court and limit its competence. The European Parliament’s rapporteur, Judith Sargentini, listed many transgressions of European values by Hungary in a report published in April that was hotly contested by officials from the ruling Fidesz party.