The Rule of Law in The EU: Commission Enforcement and Democratic Backsliding in Poland and Hungary

April 14, 2022 Panel with Anna Grzymala-Busse, Stanford University; R. Daniel Kelemen, Rutgers University; and Kim L. Scheppele, Princeton University. This talk was hosted by Stanford University's The Europe Center (TEC). Christophe Crombez, TEC's Interim Director and Senior Research Scholar, introduced the speakers and moderated the Q&A. The rise of far-right populism in European Union (EU) member states such as Poland and Hungary has posed challenges to democracy and the rule of law few had anticipated as recently as a decade ago. European Commission action to counter rule of law violations has been weak. This panel will discuss the recent democratic backsliding in Poland and Hungary and the EU's (lack of) response to it. Particular attention will be paid to the April 3 Hungarian elections and the impact of the war in Ukraine.