The European Union's Response to Illiberalism in Hungary

Hungary is not a liberal democracy. When communism fell in 1989, the world was optimistic about Hungary’s path to liberal democracy. Yet, problems arose in the mid-1990s when Hungary attempted to join the European Union (EU). Hungary had conflicting goals of obtaining EU membership and prioritizing the defense co-ethnics in neighboring states. In response, the EU introduced the Balladur plan as a form of active leverage to establish the requirements of good neighborliness and protection of minority rights (Vachudova 2005).