Sophie Pornschlegel

Mar 31, 2020 • 8 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X

The state of emergency law in #Hungary went through Parliament yesterday. Why is it so worrying and what does it mean for the #EU? THREAD 1/8

New law contains the following:
- State of emergency w/o time limit
- Rule by decree
- Parliament suspended
- all elections suspended
- Spreading fake news + rumors: up to 5 yrs in prison
- Leaving quarantine: up to 8 yrs in prison (as stated by @balazscseko) 2/8

This means indefinite and uncontrolled state of emergency in #Hungary; there are no checks and balances left, neither Parliament nor the Courts have a grip on the executive power. #Hungary is now an openly authoritarian state - a development that started back in 2010. 3/8

What are the implications for the EU? Clear infringement of Article 2 TEU & Charter of Fund. Rights. Mutual trust breached, the basis for EU cooperation such as EAW. Copenhagen criteria for access to EU not fulfilled any more ("consolidated democracy") 4/8

Lack of EU response is worrying: #Reynders will “evaluate the emergency measures taken by MS.” EU has been slow & unambitious in response to democratic backsliding in past years. Yes, it lacks infrastructure to ensure #democracy & #RoL- however, this is not the main problem. 5/8

There is a lack of political will from #EUCO to interfere. Reasons:
1/ national sovereignty & subsidiarity principle
2/ #EUCO still needs #Hungary for other decisions, e.g. #MFF.
3/ #RoL not a priority on the agenda & seen as “implicit assumption” for EU cooperation. 6/8

What should the EU do? Improve & Accelerate Art 7 procedure (Croatian Presidency needs to stop consulting and start acting!); RoL conditionality in MFF; Increase Rights & Values Instrument; No structural funds & fin. support if #RoL not respected; Throw Fidesz out of @EPP 7/8

#Hungary is worst case, but other MS are taking similar steps: #Poland w/ presidential elections; #Romania w/ restrictions on the freedom of information. #COVID19 should not be exploited to restrict civil liberties & enable democratic crackdown. 8/8

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Sophie Pornschlegel

Jan 23, 2023

Yesterday in true Franco-German fashion, the two countries celebrated 60 years of Elysée Treaty. If I haven't posted anything about it, it's because as a Franco-German myself, I'm truly disappointed with how the relation is going - for years now. Let me tell you why. /1

I've had enough of "dialogue formats" and "cultural encounters". The reality is: The political relationship is strained at best; citizens couldn't care less about their neighbours; there is little funding available for cooperation; less and less people learn the language. /2

The civil society sector is heavily status-quo oriented, & anyone who wants to improve things in the slightest is sidelined. There are signs of hope though, with some 'younger' people doing great work - but it remains rather limited./3

Sophie Pornschlegel

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This GIF shows how it feels to work on EU politics at the moment, but I'm looking forward to working on a bunch of great projects in the coming months. 👇/1

Very much looking forward to welcoming @ThinkTank_Lab in Brussels next week - besides giving a short input on "how to EU policy analysis", my colleague @FilipeALampe is organising an event on #diversity in EU policymaking with @CnctingEurope that I think is hugely important. /2

The @epc_eu also partnered up for the 'European Think Tank Conference' in October in Berlin to promote the exchange between European think tankers and discuss sector-specific issues. Stay tuned for a great programme! @dgapev dgap.org/en/events/save… /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Aug 29, 2022

As a think tanker, there is a fine balance between speaking truth to power (and, for instance, criticising the lack of ambition in view of the challenges we face) and understanding the position of decision-makers, including the need for compromises & other limiting factors. /1

Today was a good example: I was happy to read #Scholz's EU speech & finally have an outline of Germany's EU policy. I get that it could be much worse - the German government fully understands the need for a strong EU and that's a very good premise. /2

I'm also happy to have further details on certain policy fields and to understand where the focus of this government lies. It's also useful to see that certain fields - e.g. industrial policy - have been left out, which also helps define where it could get more difficult. /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Jun 1, 2022

📖 New publication 📖
It's been almost 100 days since Russia invaded 🇺🇦. In this new paper, @IlkeToygur & I look back at the EU's "modus operandi". We advocate for a more ambitious EU, rather than one that will put unity above everything else./1
epc.eu/en/Publication…

The last #EUCO summit was a wonderful example of how in the EU unity prevails over ambition. After weeks of blockage, we finally have an oil embargo, but only for 75% of Russian oil, and with a temporary exemption for pipeline oil./2

https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1531391899218608133

We start on a positive note: Both the COVID-19 pandemic & the Russian invasion revealed that the EU institutions & leaders are capable of managing crises swiftly and decisively. The EU could use this moment of change to increase its ambition & move European integration forward./3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Apr 11, 2022

After yesterday’s 1st round in the 🇫🇷 election, some takeaways on the campaign, results & what to expect next. A relatively long 🧵, as there is a lot to unpack. /1

First, on the results: 1st round shows Macron as frontrunner. But do not interpret this as a safe win for him in the 2nd round. 33% voted for far-right candidates, 26% for far-left, which brings “extreme” vote in France to over 50% in total. This is worrying. (@lemondefr) /2

2nd round will take place on 24.04. Polls vary between 45:55 & 49:51 for Macron, but it very much depends on Mélenchon voters (22% in 1st round). Several candidates (Pécresse, Hidalgo, Jadot) called for a Macron vote - except Eric Zemmour, who endorsed Le Pen. (@franceinfo) /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Mar 25, 2022

Amid all the hustle and bustle, it's hard to keep track of what actually happened yesterday in Brussels. Here are some takeaways from the diplomatic showdown (NATO, G7, EUCO) including @POTUS attendance & @ZelenskyyUa speeches. A 🧵 /1

First, HR news: @CharlesMichel was re-elected EUCO President for another 2,5 years; @jensstoltenberg's mandate was extended by a year as NATO Secretary-General. /2 politico.eu/article/charle…

Second, NATO news: NATO agreed on 4 new battlegroups on its "Eastern flank". In total, 40,000 soldiers stationed next to the border. More resources will be spent to prevent cyberattacks & to prepare for potential biological & chemical attacks./3 nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…