Viktor Orbán: The EU’s Biggest Bully

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show how Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary, as a leader of EU member state, has damaged the EU’s normative power and exposed preexisting flaws within the EU system of governance. In my paper, I delve into how Orbán has impacted EU foreign policy in recent years, becoming the EU’s “problem child” regarding several current issues. Additionally, I argue that he has helped embolden other EU countries in their illiberalism. I provide analysis for each of these cases to support my main argument that Orbán damages the EU’s normative power. In the final section of my paper, I discuss how Orbán could impact the EU’s future, especially how the EU will handle Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I conclude by providing two courses of action that the EU can take in face of the challenge that Orbán is posing.