Central and Eastern Europe

While the European Commission is the ‘Guardian of the Treaties’, there is also potential for stronger protection of the EU’s fundamental values by its member states. Germany should increase its cooperation with like-minded member states to defend democracy and the rule of law.

Democracy and the rule of law have been eroding in Hungary since 2010. In view of Hungary's tendencies towards autocratization, the policy paper contains recommendations on how the German government should respond bilaterally, multilaterally, and at the EU level.

Hungary's dismantling of the rule of law is not only presenting the EU with ever new problems. The German government, too, is challenged to react more strongly to Hungary's autocratization under the impression of the “Zeitenwende”.

The current conflict over the rule of law is increasingly straining relations between Hungary and the EU. The conflict is becoming increasingly problematic for German stakeholders, too. Hungary is blocking important EU decisions and increasing the pressure on German companies.

Difficulties, challenges and opportunities - the publication "Voices of the Belarusian Diaspora" takes an analytical and practical look at Belarusian activists in exile.

The new budget conditionality mechanism opens pathways to effectively curbing democratic backsliding in the EU. Making use of its proclaimed "Zeitenwende", Germany should use its leverage and take a more pro-active approach – as in the case of Poland – to defend the rule of law.

Some governments in Central and Eastern Europe are more illiberal than their populations. They support most of the EU’s liberal values. We analyse and explain the origins and conditions of illiberalism in the region.

Several essays examine different perspectives from countries in Central Europe on the process of European unification after 1989 and 2004. In addition they discuss how we can commemorate the successes of democratic reforms and EU enlargement today.

Illiberal values in Central and Eastern Europe receive less support than some governments might suggest. Their policies often serve mere power interests. Our study provides concrete suggestions for dealing with authoritarian-populist governments in CEE.

For non-recognised states, the road to internal and external statehood is long and complicated. The paper presents the ‘Peace Index’ as an assessment method for statehood, using the examples of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.