The Visegrád bloc are threatening to tear apart the EU

The bad boys of Europe are at it again. The EU has been attempting to tie budget funds to members states’ adherence to the rule of law. This has been rejected by Poland and Hungary, leading to the latest in a long line of conflicts between Brussels and the conservative Central European countries.

But looking at the issue in a wider regional context, it becomes clear that this is not just another diplomatic spat, but part of a wider trend. The liberalism of the EU is now facing a serious ideological opposition from the entire ‘Visegrád Four’ bloc of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

The latest dispute over the rule of law mechanism could have been seen coming. Concerns about the mechanism have been rumbling in Hungary and Poland since a coronavirus budget was agreed by the EU back in July.

The Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, and Hungarian pantomime villain, Viktor Orbán, have said that their objection to the Rule of Law mechanism in the draft EU budget is down to concerns that it will be used to punish nations which do not accept migrants.