Hungaryโs frozen cohesion funds testing EUโs rule of law conditionality [Advocacy Lab Content]
Constitutional experts doubt that conditionality will be effective in the long term, especially if richer member states begin to violate EU values.
Rule of Law
Press release – The rule of law in the EU remains in peril, MEPs say
Parliamentโs draft assessment of the Commissionโs 2024 Rule of Law Report paints a worrying picture about the state of European values.Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP
Race for Polandโs presidency blows wide open
The June 1 second-round vote will have an impact well beyond Poland.
Tuskโs coalition hopes to win over frustrated voters as Poland decides next president
Rafaล Trzaskowski still favourite to win as first round begins, despite KOโs slow progress on promises since 2023 Poles are voting in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in a vote seen a โmake or breakโ moment for the countryโs pro-…
Democracy at stake as populists battle mayors in EUโs troubled east
Romania and Polandโs votes could impact rule of law, Ukraine support and embolden the blocโs eastern awkward squad
In Germanyโs parliament, itโs now Merz vs the far right
In todayโs edition of The Capitals, read about EU scrutiny on Italyโs rule of law amid a ministerial no-show, the Warsaw-Bucharest axis sparking backlash days before the vote, and so much more.
EU scrutiny on Italyโs rule of law amid ministerial no-show
Italy faced EU scrutiny in a closed-door hearing Wednesday, where missing ministers signaled a possible political boycott ahead of the 2025 rule of law report.
Romanian wild card George Simion sets Brusselsโ nerves on edge
The presidential front-runnerโs hostility to Ukraine is creating a rift with fellow European conservatives.
Orbรกnโs Fidesz party proposes Russia-style crackdown on Hungaryโs civil society
The new bill fits into a pattern of democratic backsliding for the Central European country.
Unregulated arms: The unchecked catalyst of global instability
From civilian violence to industrial control, the arms industry has successfully evaded fit-for-purpose regulation and accountability. Now more than ever, a collaborative response is required to reverse its devastating impact.
Is the โPfizergateโ ruling the moment von der Leyen finally gets held to account?
As the president of the European Commission discovers whether it was right to withhold her text messages, the court case raises broader questions about EU transparency.
EU lawmakers probe rule of law in Meloniโs Italy
Italian ministers, judges and NGOs will participate in the European Parliament hearing.
Fast-tracking Ukraineโs EU accession helps no one โ least of all Ukraine
The path forward requires neither knee-jerk reactions nor naive optimism but steady, conditional support for Kyiv’s war effort.
Judges have a warning about Trumpโs rapid deportations: Americans could be next
Judges across the country continue to note that if courts donโt protect the rights of the least popular and most vulnerable, everyone is at risk.
Press release – Parliament encourages Kosovo and Serbia to advance their EU accession reforms
Kosovo needs to accelerate its EU-related reforms and Serbia must do more to protect the rule of law and media freedom and to fight corruption, say MEPs.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP
Centrist Nicuศor Dan faces uphill battle to beat Simion in Romanian presidential runoff
Centrist mayor of Bucharest has to bridge a daunting deficit with hard-right leader.
Trump seeks to reopen Alcatraz, place tariffs on movies made abroad
โThe reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,โ he said.
Meet George Simion, the hard-right Romanian election winner โฆ whoโs banned from Ukraine
The nationalist chief vociferously supports Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni โ and he leads the presidential race ahead of May 18’s critical second round.
US secretary of state condemns classification of German far-right party as extremist
Secretary of State Marco Rubio advised Germany to โreverse courseโ following the domestic intelligence agencyโs decision, which grants German authorities increased oversight and surveillance over the party.
AfD is officially a right-wing extremist group, Germanyโs intel agency says
The classification opens the door to deeper surveillance โ and reignites a debate over whether the far-right party should be banned.
Pirates of the Mediterranean meet judges of the Kirchberg: the CJEU rules on Maltaโs investor citizenship law
Steve Peers, Professor of
Law, Royal Holloway University of London*
Photo credit: Aldo Ardetti,
via Wikimedia
Commons
*Thanks to Justin Borg-Barthet
for corsair quote
**This blog post builds on research
for the upcoming third edition of The
E…
Europeโs diplomatic blind spot: Kallasโ visit to Baku
Dulled by energy deals and geopolitical caution, Europe’s response to Azerbaijanโs aggression has been tepid for too long.
MAGA man leads the field before Romanian election rerun
George Simion, the candidate tipped to win the first round of the presidential election, has publicly aligned himself with Donald Trump.
Trump is getting negative marks on immigration, polls show
New polling ahead of Trumpโs 100-day mark shows Americans disapprove of Trumpโs immigration policies.
Netherlands delays nitrogen emissions target, defying its own judges and the EU
Dutch government buys time for farmers but tests the limits of domestic courts and EU environmental law.
Hungary on EU watchlist over surveillance at Pride
Budapest has opened the door to using AI facial recognition to identify LGBTQ+ protestors.
Democratic backsliding in Europe holds lessons for America
Authoritarians’ early popularity can delay resistance โ but thatโs when the real damage gets done.
France floats resurrecting doomed EU-US trade deal it used to oppose
Lombard said he hoped the two sides could avert a trade war with “a win-win” solution.
Hungary could suspend citizenship to silence dissent
The ambitions of the proposed bill are clear: Itโs about targeting civil society, journalists and activists โ within Hungary and the diaspora โ who refuse to fall in line.
Jumping the Gun? The proposed early application of some of the EUโs new asylum pact โ and a common list of supposedly โsafe countries of originโ
Steve Peers, Professor of Law, Royal Holloway University
of London
Photo credit: Andre Engels, via Wikimedia Commons
The EUโs asylum pact was adopted less
a year ago, and mostly wonโt apply for over another year โ and yet the EU Commission
has …
Could Canada join the EU? Unlikely โฆ but not impossible.
EU scholars say Canada has the right vibe for Brussels โ but there would be some major hurdles blocking a membership bid.
After remarkable Supreme Court rebuke, Trump administration slams โmeritless litigationโ
The White Houseโs statement comes as the Trump administration faces a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and legal experts over due process and the rule of law.
USโs Vance pays flash visit to Pope Francis
Brief Easter Sunday meeting follows recent spat over migration between the Trump administration and the Holy See.
Slovakia adopts Russian-style law targeting NGOs
Robert Fico’s government gets a narrow win as Bratislava parliament green-lights new crackdown.
How a billionaire Russian โsugar daddyโ took over an iconic Olympic sport
Sanctioned tycoon Alisher Usmanov parries Western efforts to oust him from shadow leadership role in world fencing.ย
Budapest Pride: banned? – Banning Pride as a violation of EU free movement
Attila Szabรณ, LLM in European law, Head of Legal Aid Service, Hungarian Civil
Liberties Union
The author would
like to thank Steve Peers and Mรกtรฉ Szabรณ, HCLU’s professional director, for
their ideas for the text!
Photo credit: Tรฉteles…
Trumpโs deregulation agenda threatens global financial stability
The U.S. presidentโs return brings renewed promises of financial โliberation.โ But behind the rhetoric lies a deeper threat โ and itโs not just to the U.S. economy.
Polish delegation in EPP challenges Manfred Weber-led rightward shift
Schmoozing with the far right will get us nowhere, leading MEP tells peers.
Ineligibility: Marine Le Pen castigates a “political decision” that flouts the “rule of law
“I won’t give up,” Marine Le Pen told supporters gathered at Place Vauban in Paris. According to a police source, some 8,000 people were expected to attend the meeting on Sunday afternoon. The left is organising a counter-demonstration on Place de la R…
Le Pen vows to fight โpoliticalโ ruling, as Franceโs main parties stage rival rallies
Far-right leader tells supporters she is victim of โwitch-huntโ, while radical left says RNโs mask has slippedโข What is Marine Le Pen guilty of in National Rally embezzlement case?The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told supporters in Paris s…
Le Penโs โSave Democracyโ rally after guilty verdict falls short of expectations
The French far right has framed the verdict against Le Pen as an attack on democracy โ but was unable to attract a large crowd to a rally of support on Sunday.
Hundreds of protesters turn out in European cities against Trump
Some gave speeches denouncing the American president, and protesters waved banners like “Resist Tyrant”, “Rule of Law” “Feminists for Freedom not fascism” and “Save Democracy”.
Slovakia grapples with new protests over โRussian-styleโ bill
Critics say the bill would discredit NGOs that receive any kind of foreign funding.
Beautiful beef: Le Pen, Varoufakis and the horseshoe theory of politics
What do Marine Le Pen, Yanis Varoufakis and Donald Trump have in common? More than youโd think. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton breaks down the court decision that could end Le Penโs political career as well as the fallout for Franceโs far right. With POLITICOโs Clea Caulcutt giving us the latest [โฆ]
The New EU โCommon System for Returnsโ under the Return Regulation: Evidence-Lacking Lawmaking and Human Rights Concerns
Dr. Izabella Majcher, Independent
ConsultantPhoto credit: Alamy Stock Photo On 11 March 2025, the European Commission published a proposal
for a Return Regulation to replace the 2008 Return
Directive. This new proposal also supersedes t…
Combative Le Pen vows to fight on for French presidency
Far-right leader conspicuously refused to endorse her second-in-command, Jordan Bardella, after a court banned her from running for public office.
The time has come to punish Orbรกn, Germanyโs next government says
Merz’s incoming coalition wants to press the EU to look at withholding funds and suspending voting rights.
Netanyahu to travel to Hungary despite ICC arrest warrant
The Israeli prime minister is the target of an arrest warrant charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
Turkeyโs opposition mobilizes huge crowd to protest jailing of Istanbul mayor
Brussels this week urged Ankara to ‘uphold democratic values.’
EU faces billion-euro dilemma over Turkey crisis
Ankara is too important an ally to alienate, no matter what happens on the streets of Istanbul, politicians and officials tell POLITICO.
Trump teamโs rush to get Ukraine peace deal risks letting Russia off the hook for war crimes
“Justice is a prerequisite for sustainable peace,” says the head of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO.
Meet the Mafia-busting MEP taking the fight against organized crime to Brussels
Giuseppe Antoci battled the Italian mob. But can he take on EU policymaking?
Protesters take to streets of Istanbul again over arrest of Erdogan’s rival
Students rallied against the jailing of Istanbulโs mayor, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for aย sixth night on Monday. The detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesdayย sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations Turkey has seen i…
EU warns Turkey as Erdoฤanโs repression intensifies
Brussels watches the crackdown with alarm.
Erdogan’s Turkey tips into autocracy
With the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is completing the systematic dismantling of the rule of law and checks and balances.
Turkey lurches toward outright autocracy as Erdoฤanโs main rival is jailed
Popular opposition leader Ekremย ฤฐmamoฤlu calls for mass protests as he is thrown in jail and booted out as Istanbul mayor.
Trump is abandoning democracy and freedom. That creates an opening for Europe โ and Britain | Jonathan Freedland
Whether itโs sweeping up disgruntled US scientists or rejoining the EU, a bold Starmer must capitalise on Trumpโs extremismThanks to Donald Trump, a vacancy is opening up in the international jobs market. For decades, if not centuries, and always imper…
How to confront Orbรกn and save the EU
The legal tools to address this internal opposition exist โ Europe just needs to use them, and meet the moment with courage.
Erdoฤanโs main rival arrested in major clampdown on Turkish opposition
Arrested mayor of Istanbul accuses authorities of blow “against the will of the people.”
Italy is intentionally undermining democracy, report says
A report by Liberties names Italy as one of five EU โdismantlersโ -alongside Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Slovakia- that โintentionally undermine the rule of law.
Italy one of five โdismantlersโ causing โdemocratic recessionโ in Europe, report says
Civil liberties report warns that Italy along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia intentionally undermining rule of law โin nearly all aspectsโItalyโs government has profoundly undermined the rule of law with changes to the judiciary and showe…
Georgescu free to try his luck in other presidential elections, Romanian court says
The Russia-backed candidate will haunt May’s do-over election from which he’s still barred.
โNothing is off the tableโ on EU defence funding, says Ursula von der Leyen
Commission president says โsomething fundamentalโ has shifted and democracy and rule of law are under threatโNothing is off the tableโ when it comes to raising money for defence, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, as s…
โWeโre in danger,โ NGOs say as German conservatives join far-right crackdown on civil society
New German investigation of NGO funding signals rightward power shift in European politics.
German plans for fast-track defence splurge face strong resistance
In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about the European Commission raising rule of law concerns over Greece’s fine on broadcaster, new evidence emerging in the Poland-Belarus border shooting, and so much more.
Predatorgate: Commission flags rule of law concerns over Greece fining broadcaster
The decision comes as the legal representatives and owners of the companies implicated in Predatorgate are set to stand trial.
Turkeyโs Erdoฤan tries to sink popular rival in flood of court battles
Popular Istanbul Mayor Ekrem ฤฐmamoฤlu is seen by many as a likely next president โ as long as Erdoฤan’s authorities don’t jail him.
America must not surrender its Democratic values | Bernie Sanders
Together, we must fight for our long-held values and work with people around the world who share themFor 250 years, the United States has held itself up as a symbol of democracy โ an example of freedom and self-governance to which the rest of the world…
Ukraine should get limited EU membership, former Commission chief Juncker says
The former president of the European Commission also told Euronews he regrets not being firmer on newer member states Hungary and Slovakia, which have been found to breach the EU’s rule of law, adding that Brussels needs to be “very careful” before adm…
WS and Others v Frontex before the Grand Chamber: Ensuring Meaningful Protection of Fundamental Rights in Forced Returns by an EU Agency acting as a Safety-Net
Antje Kunst*
*Antje Kunst is
an international lawyer and barrister of Garden Court North Chambers, admitted
to the Bar of England and Wales, and the Bar of Berlin, advising and
representing individuals in a wide range of matters related to …
USAID freeze opens door to Russian influence in Eastern Europe
Cuts to aid from Washington could dramatically strengthen Moscowโs hand in the region and jeopardize Europe’s security interests.
Elections now would be perilous for Ukraine
Holding elections while fighting an existential war would needlessly imperil Ukrainian cohesion โ and the Kremlin would have a field day.
Anti-EU protesters storm EU mission in Bulgaria
“Our EU office has been vandalized,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling the attack “outrageous.”
Trump is โdoing Europe a great service,โ Slovak leader tells rapt Washington crowd
Russia-friendly Robert Fico says pro-Trump MAGA movement represents “a vision that resonates urgently.”
Trump’s United States is now a threat to democracy in Europe
Faced with the American president’s abandonment of Ukraine and the offensive against the rule of law led by his vice president, JD Vance, Europeans urgently need to act.
What Putin really wants
The Kremlin sees Trumpโs move as a correct response to Moscowโs demand to respect the Russian president as an equal partner.
Victims of international crimes need justice โ and the ICC
We call on the EUโs member countries and institutions to be the voice of human dignity globally, and to mobilize, defend and support the court.
Deputy Prosecutor General suspended in coup investigation
Tusk has promised to restore the rule of law by reversing the judicial reforms implemented by the previous conservative government.
Virkkunen stands firm on American pushback against EU tech laws
SNEAK PEEK โ The EU plans to raise the American pushback against tech law with the U.S., said tech boss Henna Virkkunen. She also promised a more โinnovation-friendlyโ AI regulatory framework. โ Rolling out AI should mean talking to workers and helping them gain new skills, said EESC president Oliver Rรถpke. Failing to get it [โฆ]
Macron picks close ally to lead court that could decide Le Penโs fate
Richard Ferrand’s appointment drew criticism even before being made official.
Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East
An aide-mรฉmoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.
As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down
Numerous federal district judges around the country have blocked major portions of Trumpโs early agenda โ but Supreme Court showdowns loom.
Trumpโs plan for โethnic cleansingโ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator
Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.
Germanyโs old-school conservatism is well and truly over
Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.
Serbiaโs students are showing the world how to restore democratic hope | Adriana Zaharijeviฤ
An authoritarian regime has been rocked by an anti-corruption movement generating society-wide anger and indignationAdriana Zaharijeviฤ is a philosopher at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of BelgradeWhen a building structure …
EU court upholds โฌ320M fine against Poland for violating rule of law
Fine related to controversial Polish judicial reforms by previously ruling PiS party.
Ukraine demands โimpartialโ inquiry into death of a citizen in Slovakia
Bratislava and Kyiv have been at loggerheads since the Slovak leadership cut off weapons flows to Ukraine and embraced Moscow talking points.
US to again withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council, stop UNRWA funding
The actions come one day before Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
The EUโs AI bans come with big loopholes for police
The EU’s AI Act bans some โunacceptableโ use of the technology but critics say the law is riddled with security exemptions.
Sweden aims to introduce law letting police wiretap children as gang violence rises
Sweden is grappling with a gang crime wave involving teenagers hired for everything from vandalism to bombings and murder.
โWe are done with corruptionโ: how the students of Serbia rose up against the system
In a country grappling with weak rule of law, many seek freedom from a government long seen as authoritarianSitting on the balustrade of a viaduct in Belgrade, Uroลก Pantoviฤ wasnโt in the mood to mince his words. The 22-year-old had joined tens of thou…
Trumpโs beef with the World Health Organization is personal
Heโs said the UN bodyโs head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, treated China better than him during the pandemic.
Anti-Fico protests build as Slovak PM mutters about foreign โcoupโ
Political acrimony is rocking Bratislava.
Hungaryโs cohesion crisis, EU funds in limbo with rule-of-law standstill [Advocacy Lab Content]
In Hungary, โฌ38 million will be implemented for technical assistance through the Operational Programme Plus, of which the EU will contribute some โฌ31.47 million
The post Hungary’s cohesion crisis, EU funds in limbo with rule-of-law standstill app…
EU tells Trumpโs America: We have other options
Ursula von der Leyen casts Europe as an economic heavyweight that can forge new alliances during another “America First” presidency.
Europe cannot bow down to the tech oligarchs. Our democracy and rule of law are at stake [Promoted content]
When we saw Elon Musk walking into the Twitter head office with a sink a little over two years ago, did we expect things to escalate this quickly? It is sinking in what an existential threat to democracy we face…
The post Europe cannot bow down to th…
MEPs to tackle Hungarian espionage case amid spyware legislative vacuum
At the moment, EU law does not protect EU officials against spyware.ย
The post MEPs to tackle Hungarian espionage case amid spyware legislative vacuum appeared first on Euractiv.
Trump signs executive order to give TikTok extension
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the sell-or-ban law.
Orbรกnโs lockdown orgy acolyte returns in bid to save face
Former MEP Jรณzsef Szรกjer, a close ally of the Hungarian PM, tells POLITICO he wants to show he’s more than just a meme.
โIf You Compromise With Totalitarian Systems, You Will Pay a High Priceโ
In a new book, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dรถpfner urges the U.S. and Europe to join together in a โFreedom Trade Allianceโ against China, Russia and other autocracies.