How to discipline the unruly pupil in the class without expelling him/her?: The case of Hungary in the European Union : the media war 2.0

Abstract

Over the last few years the European Union has been facing an economic as well as a constitutional crisis. Some Member States are challenging the common values enshrined in Art. 2 of the Treaty of the European Union, which construct the foundation of the Union. Yet, it seems that the European Union has not found the adequate means and tools to react to the risks threatening the standards of democracy and rule of law and the protection of human rights in the Member States. While in the economic crisis mainly Greece is targeted, in the values crisis Hungary is filling this position. For a long time, Hungary had been the model state for democratic transition in Central and Eastern Europe. However, it is claimed that this has changed after the elections in 2010 and that there have been tendencies towards an illiberal state since then. This thesis aims to provide an overview of the existing tools at the disposal of the European Union before and after the accession to monitor and enforce common values. Based on the example of Hungary and specially the Media Laws of 2010, the effectiveness of the legal and political means will be examined. Besides analysing the power of the European Union in enforcing common values, this thesis also deals with the in debates often abandoned social environment for the absorption of possible sanctions. Through the analysis of the selected case study, this paper illustrates the importance of support for changes from within; otherwise the steps addressing the challenges may have a counter-productive effect.