an independent, cross-border journalism initiative dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting and independent press in the Visegrad Region
EU governments want to allow state surveillance of journalists and their interlocutors, including the use of spyware, if security authorities deem it necessary.
Viktor Orban in Brussels, 2017. Source: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com
In the clash between Brussels and Budapest, Hungary blinked first. It was a successful test for the so-called conditionality mechanism that is supposed to keep countries from straying from democratic principles. But still, there is little hope for real anti-corruption reforms under Viktor Orbán.