Is the EU Too Soft on Hungary?

Dr Jacek Kucharczyk, IPA president, responds to Judy Dempsey's question "Is the EU Too Soft on Hungary?". Like most experts who have responded to this question, dr Kucharczyk believes that the EU reaction to democratic backsliding in Hungary was indeed inadequate. He concludes that  

"The introduction of the rule of law mechanism has given the EU a new powerful tool of enforcing the compliance with European values. At the same time, Hungary’s pro-Putin stand after the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made it obvious to the EU political class that Orbán is not just a threat to Hungarian democracy but to the EU’s ability to respond to this war in accordance with Europe’s core values. Orbán’s latest offer of a phony compromise should not give Brussels an excuse to abandon its principled position and to release the funds he needs for his political survival."