The Visegrad Group and the rule of law [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Political developments in the Visegrád Group countries had raised concern over the commitment of some of their leaders and senior politicians to European Union values, notably the rule of law. The Visegrád Group was an informal alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, all of which joined the EU in 2004.

Criticism by EU officials and some other Union governments centred on Hungary and Poland, where governments had implemented a number of controversial reforms, notably of the judiciary. In December 2017, the European Commission triggered the first phase of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which could ultimately deprive a country found guilty of violating EU values of voting rights. In addition, a European Parliament draft report noted a deterioration of the rule of law in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán won a third term in office in the country’s April 2018 general election.

This note offered links to recent commentaries, studies and reports from major international think tanks on the Visegrád Group, its internal relations and its role within the EU, with the focus on the rule of law debate.

Compler: Marcin Grajewski

• Primary Source

ESO: Key Source: The Visegrad Group http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-visegrad-group-2/

Verfassungsblog: Blog, March 2018: Debate: Protecting the Rule of Law in the EU http://www.europeansources.info/record/debate-protecting-the-rule-of-law-in-the-eu/

Verfassungsblog: Blog, 12.06.18: Dusting off the Old Precedent – Why the Commission Must Stick to the Art. 7 Procedure Against Poland https://verfassungsblog.de/dusting-off-the-old-precedent-why-the-commission-must-stick-to-the-art-7-procedure-against-poland/

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