Since his election victory in 2010, Orbán and his right-wing Fidesz party have set Hungary on a path contrary to EU values, with the ultimate aim of making the country, as Orbán himself put it, an ‘illiberal democracy’. EU funds are channeled to enrich Orbán’s inner circles while public jobs are used to shore up support for the regime. Critics of the government find themselves on the wrong end of hiked taxes and torrential government propaganda. In response, Hungary’s middle class and political opposition are fleeing the country in droves.

While Orbán has gone further than any other leader in the EU to unpick the stitches of democratic society, Hungary is not an anomaly. Orbán has become the figurehead of far-right, anti-EU forces. September 2018 signaled a potential turning point, as the European Parliament voted through the damning report spearheaded by Green MEP Judith Sargentini. The subsequent triggering of Article 7, the EU’s infringement procedure against member states which have violated fundamental rights, may be a significant step but serious action could well be blocked by Hungary’s allies. In this focus, we shine a spotlight on Hungary, hearing from diverse and critical voices about the reality on the ground and what this means for Europe.