Suspending funds is the EU’s strongest tool to safeguard rule of law. In Hungary, release of frozen EU funds was a key factor in Péter Magyar’s campaign. The Commission wants to enshrine RoL conditionality in the next MFF. In a new paper, I take a closer look: www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

Democratic frontsliding in the EU is real! #Hungary Curious what people think: how does our frontsliding framework travel from Poland to Hungary? In our new paper @chrishillion.bsky.social, @tommasopavone.bsky.social & I examine the challenges of democratic restoration after backsliding. 👇 thread

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗨 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? Yesterday's #election in #Hungary forces us to grapple w/ the politics of "𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨." In @jeppjournal.bsky.social, @chrishillion.bsky.social, @ascherz.bsky.social & I have an argument- and warning- from Poland 👇thread

🇭🇺🎉THREAD 1/3 The dismantling of state capture is already beginning today In his victory speech, Péter Magyar called for the resignation of – Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary – the President of the Constitutional Court – the President of Hungary’s Supreme Court (the Curia) – the Prosecutor General

Magyar has called on the national president to resign so that the new parliament can elected a new president. (Orban amended the law on the presidency in December to make it impossible for the parliament to impeach the president.) If Sulyok stays, he can act as roadblock for the new govt.

If Orbán loses election but challenges results in the kangaroo courts he has packed with party loyalists, the EU will have a dilemma on its hands. The EU has long accepted unfair elections in Hungary but what would it do if an autocrat blatantly stole an election? www.politico.eu/article/frau...

Truly insane turnout. Something unimaginable has to happen in the afternoon for overall turnout not to break the record. 80% is now imaginable. Perhaps people were not lying when 80+% told pollsters they are certain to vote, yet we dismissed those numbers as unrealistic.

Yes, we made a podcast about the Hungarian elections. Bear with us. 🇭🇺🫠 🗳️ Why a poll lead isn't enough 🏛️ Why a new government inherits a system designed to outlast it 🌍 Why rule of law enforcement matters more if the opposition wins With Alida Steigler (@unioslo-jus.bsky.social). 🎧 sptfy.in/arena

In 2025 @chrishillion.bsky.social, @ascherz.bsky.social & I proposed a theory of "democratic frontsliding" & "restorative disobedience" to confront recalcitrant "autocratic enclaves" & restore democracies that backslid. Poland is our key case. Read/share our new/improved paper! tinyurl.com/mrx7kep9

What should the EU do about #Hungary? 🇪🇺🇭🇺 New ARENA Europa podcast ep. is out! We often ask what’s feasible instead of what’s right when it comes to #RoL enforcement in the #EU. @vmakszimov.bsky.social asked me about what “the right thing” might be. 🔗 Listen here: open.spotify.com/show/2lyLtQi...

📣 Call for #ecprgc26 Panels & Papers 🏛️ Authority, Authoritarianism, and Political Theory 🪑 @tlechtable.bsky.social & @ascherz.bsky.social ⌛ Deadline: 5 Jan buff.ly/sOfsXUu #PoliSky #CallforPapers #Democracy

New special issue out! 🎉 “Legitimate International Authority and Institutional Diversity” — edited by @oisinsuttle.bsky.social & me in Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. How can we judge the legitimacy of diverse international institutions? 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1369...

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry

How can: -we build resilience in times of overburdening threats -we re-imagine what democracy & the rule of law look like in turbulent times -the EU adapt to emerge stronger? At the European #RuleofLaw Conference 2025, our opening panel brings together voices from journalism, academia & practice⬇️

🗳️ Restoring democracy after years of erosion is hard work 🇪🇺 In a new IGCC blogpost, @chrishillion.bsky.social , @tommasopavone.bsky.social & I argue that "frontsliding" may require restorative disobedience—proportionate defiance of entrenched illiberal structures. 👉 ucigcc.org/blog/poland-...

Check out JEPP's collection on EU responses to democratic backsliding, bringing to together some of newest research on the topic! Including one of my papers about what the EU should do

AG Ćapeta recently explained why Frontex may be held liable for fundamental rights violations that occur during joint return operations. LAURA SALZANO on this latest development in the applicants’ quest for accountability in WS v Frontex. verfassungsblog.de/we-were-just...

New paper w/ @chrishillion.bsky.social & @tommasopavone.bsky.social What does it take not just to defend democracy—but to rebuild it? Developing the concepts of democratic frontsliding and restorative disobedience we analyze how liberal democracy can be restored: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Presenting work on democratic frontsliding at this great AuthLIB workshop in Budapest. Thank you for the very helpful discussion!

Our "Defending Liberalism" workshop is underway at @ceudeminst.bsky.social 🗨️ What are the normative limits of protecting democracy from illiberal actors? How can we respond to their varieties? Our agenda: www.authlib.eu/defending-li... 🗣️ @zmiklosi.bsky.social @zsolt.bsky.social & Andres Moles

Follow the Stockholm Center on Global Governance for updates! @scgg-official.bsky.social The center brings together researchers at @stockholm-uni.bsky.social and beyond for events, interdisciplinary research, and policy in global governance. #polisky #Europesky

Suspending Hungarian citizenship for dual nationals, violations of freedom of assembly and the attempt to ban Pride🏳️‍🌈 -- the Orbán government is escalating its efforts to stifle dissent and weaken human rights protections in Hungary🇭🇺. Our 2 new briefs explain the plans ➡️ helsinki.hu/en/legislati...

The Department of Philosophy at Stockholm University is looking to hire a PhD in practical philosophy: philjobs.org/job/show/28426 Deadline: 31. January Come and join us in beautiful Stockholm!

How should the EU respond to democratic backsliding in its own member states? 📜 In my latest paper, I tackle the pressing challenge of democratic backsliding in EU member states such as Hungary and Poland—an issue that threatens the EU’s core values of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.

Last chance to apply for this 2-year postdoc in philosophy at the Stockholm Center on Global Governance! Deadline is the 15. October. See details here: www.su.se/english/abou...

The proofs are corrected and the first reviews are online. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 is coming! Very grateful to Paul Magnette, Wojciech Sadurski and Judith Sargentini for their endorsements 🙏 www.hurstpublishers.com/book/protect...