Frequent charges against the Commission are predominantly based on the fact that it lacks democratic legitimacy for making decisions regarding issues of ideology, and it is not held accountable by anyone for its political decisions, which would certainly be unthinkable in democratic circumstances.
Here is the reason why the Commission is being more ‘woke than the wokest’ and why it is taking sides in a divisive debate that tears apart a large swathe of the political class in Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has condemned Brussels’s reported plan to fast-track Ukraine into the European Union by 2027 as ‘an open declaration of war’ against Hungary. He warned that proposals to remove his veto—through electoral change or stripping Hungary’s voting rights—amount to a direct assault on national sovereignty and democratic choice.
Hungary was widely mocked a year ago for warning that Brussels planned to fast-track Ukraine’s EU accession. Now, POLITICO Brussels has outlined a concrete roadmap to bring Kyiv into the bloc by 2027—including waiting for Viktor Orbán’s removal or even stripping Hungary of its voting rights—confirming fears once dismissed as conspiracy.
‘While Americans continue to uphold a strong belief in free speech, modern Europe has adopted a more technical approach—one focused on “right” speech rather than free speech; one that censors expression strategically and discreetly.’
15 years after its ruling on crucifixes in Italian schools, the European Court of Human Rights has asked Greece to justify the presence of Orthodox icons in its courts. Legal scholar Nicolas Bauer reminds us that states have entrusted the Court with protecting individual freedoms, not erasing European cultural heritage.
‘Yes, it is true that many Americans cannot quote Goethe from memory. It is also true that most self-employed American tradesmen outperform European middle-class workers by a significant margin.’
‘The European Commission immediately embraced the initiative and began drafting a policy proposal under the same name, with the aim of creating a unified pan-European company structure…However, the member states are likely to be less enthusiastic, as the planned 28th regime would in fact reduce national jurisdiction.’
Behind closed doors in Zagreb, the European People’s Party outlined a vision for Europe that would dilute national sovereignty and turn the EU into an increasingly militarized organization anchored to long-term commitments for Ukraine. With Viktor Orbán standing as the main obstacle to this agenda, it is hardly surprising that Brussels is now heavily invested in unseating him ahead of Hungary’s April election.
‘ As the last three decades have shown, the EU’s migration and asylum policy is an abysmal and absolute failure.’