The rule of law debates could have a drastic effect on the future of the European Union. The systematic transfer of institutions serving justice and enforcing the rule of law to the European level may endanger democracy and in particular the original concept of the rule of law.
The European Union’s current administration of refugee affairs can safely be called both flawed and obsolete.
While the initial European position on the Russian energy threats seemed like a unanimous ‘No’, now – without no apparent short-term alternatives – more and more countries prepare to pay in roubles which will likely create tensions with those who still refuse.
According to Joch, there is a kind of clash of civilizations behind the clash of worldviews in Europe. Today the most controversial issues are the redefinition of marriage, legal and illegal immigration, and the military arming of Europe. Basically, a sharp cultural division can be perceived in this matter between Western and Eastern Europe.
To sum up, there are the so-called ideological ‘leftists’ who are in power in much of Europe, including Berlin and Paris, and there are the pragmatic ‘rightists who are in power in the Visegrád Group countries, especially in Budapest and Warsaw, but, for the time being, they are in opposition to most of Europe.
The privatization policy of the 1990s aimed to make the sitting tenants owners of their rented flats, by offering 70–90 per cent discounts on the price of the houses and flats.
Evaluating the past and projecting scenarios for the future is especially important at a time when the V4 countries experience one of the greatest challenges to their alliance since its inception, due to very different national approaches to the war in Ukraine.
‘There is robust political debate in Hungary, but it is not dominated by hatred of one’s own nation and a sort of romantic, progressive Marxism and wokeism to the degree it is in the cultural and political establishments of America.’
While generally speaking Western Europe is characterized by high levels of trust, Central Eastern European societies, due to the legacy of Communism, have lower trust levels, which hinders their economic and political prospects and development.
While Brussels hopes that breaking free from Russian energy will encourage a green turn in Europe, the chances of a green transition in Central Europe are in fact very low.