Democrația Uniunii Europene în documente și practici politice. Cazul Ungariei „iliberale”
Democracy of the European Union in documents and political practices. The case of „illiberal” Hungary

Summary/Abstract: This article contains an analysis of the degradation of democracy in Hungary from the perspective of European conceptions on the rule of law and human rights. The case of Hungary, with Viktor Orbán as prime minister between 1998-2002 and then since 2010, re-elected in the spring of 2018, demonstrates how democracy is strictly reduced to the electoral component and deprived of the vital tools for its functioning, the result being to the detriment of society. The existence of a political majority without being balanced by the rule of law, the circumvention of civil rights and freedoms have made the Hungarian state a negative example for the European community. The reactions of the institutions show the attempts to reach a political and legal mechanism for the protection and guarantee of democratic values and practices, in the face of threats from within the European Union. The adoption of documents summarizing and criticizing Hungarian policy is a first step towards the creation of a rapid European reaction system, based on the principles and values already mentioned in the Maastricht, Amsterdam and Lisbon Treaties. The Commission's conception, together with other reports by some MEPs, shows that the rule of law and human rights are valid criteria for differentiating between formal and consolidated democracy.

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